


Phobia

by fallacy



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, BAMF!Tazuna, Eventual Happy Ending, Friendship, Gen, Hidan's not in his right mind, Hurt/Comfort, Kakuzu digs Hidan out, Kakuzu's A+ nursing skills, some gore, well in their own way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-02-11 04:39:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2053926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallacy/pseuds/fallacy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd found him. But something's... not right. He could leave him to take care of his own wretched self... or lend a helping hand. A narrow escape from death left Kakuzu to face a whole new road of challenges. Rated T for swearing and a bit of gore. AU in Naruto universe. Naruto characters belong to their respectful owner, Kishimoto Masashi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ominous dark clouds hung heavily in the dreary sky. Blinding flashes of lightning split across the blackening horizon. Deafening booms of thunder rolled in the distance that could be heard distinctly even from miles away. Huge, colossal raindrops plummeted down to the earth, flooding the empty streets and filling the gutters of every single house and shop in the Leaf Village. To put it quite plainly, it was a day to retreat under a roof and play shogi with your friends, munch on plates of sliced watermelon and homemade dango that a kind mother would make for a group of laughing teenagers as they gather around in the living room.

It was midsummer, and the rainy season had approached them with a short warning the day before. The humidity level was cranked up to the max, and air conditioners were sold out within the first few weeks. The rivers were swollen and flooded, and the pitter-patter of the rain drops could be heard throughout entire days and well into the nights.

However, one such person did not know the warmth and comfort of a dry shelter, did not know the satisfaction of stuffing himself with dango and watermelon, had no friends to play shogi with, and most certainly did not have a place that welcomed him home. Unlike all others, travellers and all, he was not safely tucked away in some cozy inn, enjoying a nice hot cup of tea. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he was welcome anywhere at all.

This lone figure was, in truth, miles away from the Village, sprinting through a thick forest that was heavily wooded with unfamiliar trees. His tattered grey shirt and pants were drenched in mud, and the rain pounded away at his bare skin mercilessly, the water streaming down dirtied and injured skin, washing away the blood, both old and fresh. The _splash splash_ of feet slapping into puddles were just as loud as the harsh panting as the man never ceased to slow his pace. Long, dark strands of hair clung to the bruised and stitched cheeks and fell into his dual-colored eyes, only to be brushed out with a careless flick of a hand.

As if the forest was aware of that fact that it was being trespassed by a sudden foreigner, twisted roots seemed to sprout out of the ground in an effort to stop the figure. But the trespasser pressed on, his honed ninja reflexes effectively allowing him to jump and dodge out of the way even in his weakened state. He only had one goal, one destination, and he would do anything to reach it.

After weaving through the stranger woods for what seemed like an age, the man finally came to a halt in front of a large clearing, and swept his eyes over the scene ahead. The ground was still faintly scarred from the old battles that took place here, but the grass and fern had taken over most of the crevices in the soil and it looked almost normal. The man's gaze lingered a moment longer on the distinct markings of kunai knives on the bark of the nearby trees, then took a few steps forward until he was standing directly on the spot where the soil had obviously been disturbed, a very long time ago. A prickling sensation at the back of his neck told him that he was being watched; eyes that had never left this place ever since that day.

The man slowly got down to his knees, and touched the wet grass below him almost gently like he was handling a fragile piece of glass. He watched the water roll off his hand and into the soil beneath, as if it were sucking all the rain in.

Sucking in… yes. That's what the ground did. It swallowed everything up; rain, snow, blood, tears… and people.

The crouching figure could almost feel the ground pulling and beckoning him into its abysmal depths, to trap him under for all of eternity. The rain pounded even harder. That was when the man set to work.

Without warning, the forest echoed with the sounds of the heavy downpour, accompanied by the sudden _'shlunk'_ of metal sinking into soil. The shovel dug its way into the earth, deeper and deeper with each time. The man grunted with effort, his sweat mingling with rain water and flowing down his face like small rivers. He eventually ripped off his stupid shirt when he got frustrated with the bits of fabric hanging in his view; the thing was already half-destroyed, anyway. He continued with his shovelling, never pausing, never thinking lest he changed his mind.

He could've continued with his life. He could've gone on and built a nice cabin up in the mountains, and travel the world to hunt the usual bounties for the cash he endeared so much. And one day, he could've gotten his revenge on the cursed, vile Leaf ninja dogs that had destroyed his life, made him like this. Just him and his usual self, and no idiots of this wretched generation around him to stand in his way. Just like the old days.

But no, he couldn't do that. He'd have unfinished business waiting for him in these woods, left here to rot away but never fading completely as it hangs over his consciousness like a haunting shadow.

Wandering solo would have to wait. One thing was for sure; _they_ would get _their_ revenge, together.

The shovelling soon ceased, and the man collapsed onto one knee as he felt his energy depleting rapidly. He'd only dug three feet into the ground so far, and he still had miles to go. At this state, he'd never reach the bottom of this hole. He growled at himself for being so weak.

He'd been saving a good amount of his chakra for later on, but right now, manual labor was proving to be almost impossible. He reluctantly formed the necessary hand signs for a simple Earth technique, and tried to concentrate as little chakra into the jutsu as he could possibly manage. The ground beneath him trembled, crumbled, and cracked, until it was no more than soft soil that could be easily brushed away with all the precipitation. The man scooped up as much dirt as he could with his hands, tossed it away, and repeated the procedure again and again. His hands quickly became extremely filthy that not even the rain would wash it away. Rocks and pebbles slashed at his skin, and his fingernails cracked and bled. Still, the man did not stop digging, didn't stop to nurse his wounds. With each grunt of effort and scoop of dirt that was thrown away, he got closer and closer to what he had been looking for this whole evening.

Finally, his frozen hands hit something other than stone or earth. Grasping the soft matter, he pried the object out of the ground and shook away the grime. He stared down at the dismembered arm in his hold, the skin a sickly greying white and peeling away near the wrist. Setting down the limb next to him, he continued to dig, this time more carefully. Pretty soon he discovered a foot, another arm, and a whole leg. All of the body parts had at least one rip in the flesh that was either purplish black or a foul, rotting texture. The man kept on digging, as if searching for something else that mattered more than a couple of rotting arms. And as he finally hit something else much more rounder, he knew he had found it.

Ten months.

Ten months since that cursed day.

Ten months of being trapped under a ton of dirt and rock, with worms and maggots for company, seeing nothing but darkness, and now resurfacing once more.

His throat tightening for some odd reason, he carefully scooped the object out of the ground and brushed the filth out of the once silver locks of hair, that were now reduced to a horrid murky brown. He let the rain wash away the remnants of this damned hole from the face of the very person he hated up till this very moment.

There he was, the same, loud-mouthed Jashinist that loved to chatter incessantly and praise nothing but his damned Jashin god in all his arrogant, muscular glory, effectively driving him over the edge more than once. The very same person he used to cut up and toss away himself, now strewn all over the filthy dirt. The man recalled the times when the idiot stood before him with his well-kept silver hair neatly slicked back, healthy, toned flesh that didn't seem to have a speck of blood or a cut on it. Now, a huge cut was running down the left side of the face, and the bruise over the same eye was almost disgusting. A small spot on the temple was rotting away to show bone; the right jaw was nearly shredded and had obviously tried to heal itself over time, without much success. The eyes were closed and sunken, and all in all it looked just like any other dead corpse you would find when you go digging around in a grave.

Only, the man knew that this was a different case.

He continued searching until he found the rest of the body parts that made up a whole person. He reached for the torso and placed his hand over the heart. There, he felt it; a pulse. Weak and barely throbbing, but still there. And thanks to the chakra that it had constantly produced, the flesh had suffered minimal amount of rotting and other damage, if you could call this minimal.

Focusing his chakra, he maneuvered his threads and began the painstaking process of reattaching limb back to limb. It was slow and excruciating; the lightning continued to flash and the thunder rumble up ahead, he was more than soaked to the bone, yet he did not stop. He'd come this far already. He even took the time to sew together the rotten or cut up sections of flesh that littered the entire body. When he finally finished the last stitch that connected the head back onto its place, the man stumbled backwards and fought back the oncoming dizziness.

Unfortunately, there was one more thing he had to do. Right now, he was sure the figure lying before him in a bed of stones and mud was in a form of comatose. He didn't know for how long, but it would require some work on his part to wake him up again. Placing both hands over the pale chest, colder than his own freezing hands, he gritted his teeth and sent a powerful surge of chakra through his palms, into the immortal heart.

All at once, he could feel the muscle returning to full life and spasming under the man's touch. Slowly, a tiny amount of color returned to the naked figure as blood began its regular circulation once more. The mouth opened and took a huge, rattling breath. Struggling not to collapse, the man firmly kept his ground and knelt next to his work partner, blinking away stars.

The figure let a strangled sound escape from his lips, not used to speaking for such a long time. The man patiently waited until the eyes slowly cracked open to show the violet irises he had grown accustomed to over all those years. Currently, they were dull and unseeing.

"Glrgh…" A few fingers twitched, and then the limbs started to move and test themselves out. The mutilated face twisted into agony as his nerves finally appeared to have reconnected with his entire system. "Nnngarrghh…!"

"Easy, Hidan." The man placed a swollen and bleeding hand on the Jashinist's forehead. "You're alive." _Like always_.

Hidan let out a startled gasp, and he turned his head as best as he could in the voice's general direction, his eyes clouded with something akin to panic. He started to squirm more violently, making incoherent noises at the back of his throat.

"Don't move too much, or you'll rip the stitches out," the man warned. "Just calm down."

"Mmphl..." Hidan blinked several times, his eyes glazed over and his breathing erratic. "Whooh— whooh awhre yhou!?"

"It's me, dumbass," said the man quietly, his words barely heard over the never-ceasing rainfall. "I told you to be careful, didn't I? You didn't listen to me again."

"Kha—" The violet eyes widened as they stared into the man's visage as if he'd only just noticed him there, and a spark of recognition flared in his beat up face. "Kh- _Kakuzhoo!?_ "

"Yeah."

"I— wholly _shut—_ why—? _Phuck!"_ Hidan looked like he was having a seizure, his eyes bulging out of his sockets and it sounded like he was drowning in air. He was desperately trying to crawl his way closer to the kneeling man, emitting strange, painful cries the entire time, very unlike the Hidan they knew. Kakuzu watched with an enigmatic look in his eyes. "W-Why— awre yhou h-here!? I tought yhou… yhou—" He paused as a series of horrible coughs ripped from his throat, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth.

"I didn't die, idiot. Did you actually think that a couple of kids could defeat me? Now, don't move so much." Kakuzu's words were hollow and straightforward, but Hidan never stopped struggling.

"Phuck yhou!" Hidan rasped. "Piece of _shut—"_ He finally had gotten close enough, and he grasped a handful of Kakuzu's pants in his fist, baring his teeth. _"I'll phuckin' khill yhou!"_

Kakuzu looked at Hidan calmly. With all the noises he was making that sounded strangely like sobs, and all the water streaming down his face, he silently wondered if the Jashinist was actually _crying_. But then he pushed away the thought. This guy never cried. He was too damn proud.

"Come on." Kakuzu wrapped his arm slowly around Hidan's torso and carefully lifted him up into a half-standing, half-kneeling position, ignoring the Jashinist's painful groans. "Let's go."

And so the pair made their agonizing way out of the cursed forest, step by step, limp by limp, with Kakuzu practically dragging themselves along with Hidan hanging off him, slipping and stumbling in the mud. Kakuzu knew his chakra and energy level was almost down to zero, yet he urged himself forward. They had already been defeated once; he would not let himself get defeated again. As they stumbled onward, Kakuzu could still feel those haunting eyes on them, watching them as they escaped from the forest that had once condemned the Jashinist to an eternity of a hellish, underground abyss.

All too pre-occupied with their lively chatter, bottles of sake and rounds of shogi, no one saw the two men crawling out of the Nara forest, escaping the eerie eyes of the watchful deer, and disappearing into the thick downpour of the midsummer rainy season. They had nowhere to return to, nor did they have enough strength to do so, yet they continued to move on. Silently, wordlessly, like a shadow.


	2. Chapter 2

Each step they took was like an agonizing torture that coursed through Kakuzu's body as they made their way forward, painfully slow. The rain was by no means lessening, and tremendous lightning crackled above their heads. There was only one other time throughout his whole life that Kakuzu remembered himself to be this weak. He bitterly recalled his battle with Hashirama Senju of the Hidden Leaf, all those years ago. No matter how much they tried sugar-coating it, in the end it had only been a suicide mission. Yet, he had still managed to survive. Several decades later, this was how he found himself. Trying to crawl desperately back to non-existent safety like a wet, injured dog, dragging his tattered bone along in a foolish attempt to save it. The wind howled furiously in his ears, and the trees were whipped back from the pure raging force that refrained him from moving onward.

Unlike his former partner, Hidan seemed to pass out with every ten steps that they took. No matter how many times he had boasted about his immortality in the past, Kakuzu knew the only reason he was even half-standing in the first place came purely from numbness, and no real energy. He practically had Hidan draped over his shoulders, his sewn up wounds beginning to seep out what little blood his heart had managed to recreate in the past half hour. Every once in a while he would mumble something incoherent, but apparently it didn't matter to the Jashinist that he wasn't getting any replies from the older man. He seemed locked up in his own world of half-consciousness, unaware of the chaos that surrounded him.

Kakuzu readjusted Hidan's arms around himself once more, and let out a frustrated hiss. His could no longer feel his entire upper half of his body, and it felt like he was walking on broken glass with each step. Hair and water streamed into his eyes and no matter how many times he shook them out, they would stubbornly fall back, blinding what little vision he had in the first place. They were still several miles away from the main road, and were following an old trail that wove through parts of the lesser woods. Unfortunately it was hard to tell exactly where they were; thanks to the downpour it was hard to see more than fifteen yards ahead. Muddy water sloshed and swirled up to their ankles, and it was hard to keep a firm grip on his partner's slippery skin. Hidan let out a tired groan when Kakuzu gave a particularly rough pull, and halted. Kakuzu had no choice but to stop with him.

"Hidan," Kakuzu said warningly.

"N-no more…" The Jashinist shifted his entire weight onto the older man's body, and his head lolled onto Kakuzu's shoulder tiredly.

"We need to keep going," Kakuzu said as impassively as he could, but he couldn't help keep his own exhaustion out of his voice. He quickly caught the Jashinist when his grip loosened and he began to slip down.

"Phuckin' can't," rasped Hidan, taking in huge, rattling breaths. "Jus'… kill me."

"You know I can't do that," Kakuzu replied, almost tripping himself as he gathered up the man so that he was back in his half-standing, half-hanging position again. His voice was barely audible over the storm. "We're nearly there." To where, Kakuzu did not know.

"Don' lie, you phuckin' piece o' shut—" Hidan paused as he doubled over when retching coughs wracked his body. "Go, leave m'alone!"

Kakuzu promptly ignored him, and yanked the Jashinist along despite his complaints. He held on to the tiny ray of hope that was they'd eventually come across _some_ habitable town or place, or at least some form of shelter that would give protection from this cursed weather. His muscles screamed in agony as he urged the half-conscious immortal forward, the man seeming to get heavier by the minute. Hidan made a noise of frustration and began to push Kakuzu away. The two of them struggled with each other for a minute or two, until Kakuzu's knees decided to give in from sheer exhaustion and the pair went tumbling to the ground. Mud flew everywhere and flooded their eyes, nose, and mouths. Coughing and choking, Kakuzu tried to lift himself up but found that he could barely muster up enough strength to form a fist. His lungs were burning and throat parched raw, and so he just lay there collapsed on his stomach, eyelids threatening to close any minute.

He felt miserable beyond belief. He'd never felt so weak and pathetic in his life and that was saying something, considering his failure with that impossible suicide mission a long time ago. He'd never known that one's body could be pushed to such extreme limits. He looked over to where the stitched up Jashinist was sprawled out motionless and wanted to scream with frustration. He'd managed to come this far, and this was their wretched ending for them. Despite all the glorious battles he had been in, he was going to be found dead a week or two later on a deserted trail with vultures feasting on his rotted flesh. It was so unfair.

The world was so unfair.

But then again, Kakuzu thought vaguely, as his consciousness was blissfully slipping from him; maybe he'd deserved it some way. Perhaps there had been just some of those times in his life, and this was his punishment. Whatever he had done to concoct such a pathetic ending for himself, he began to recognize it as a merciful way out, his pain and exhaustion effectively being cut off and he'd be free, once more.

From the very corner of his rapidly fading vision, he thought he saw a single, glowing orb of light. It bobbed up and down like a firefly, and he faintly wondered if it would be the glimpse of the first doorways of Hell. After all, he did say he'd be fine as long as he had his money…

~*o*~

_"I can't believe… I lost to a bunch of kids…"_

_Just above his limited vision, he could see and hear the crackling shrieks of lightning._

_"The next generation will always surpass the previous one. It's one of the never-ending cycles in life."_

_There was a blinding flash of light, and then everything went dark._

Kakuzu opened his eyes abruptly as the dream ended the same way it had for many nights during his refuge days. He was alarmed at how blurry his sight had gotten, but everything slowly came within focus in time, and was rather bewildered at the fact that what he saw, wasn't Hell at all.

He was staring at what seemed like a rickety, wooden wall that looked as if it had withstood many years of weathering, and he could see a part of a worn dresser to his right. A thin layer of dust was settled over the floor, and the sheets that he lay atop at the current moment smelled faintly of mothballs. The only loud sound he could hear was his own breathing which was picking up pace since he didn't know where he was. Over his head he could see the dim glow of a light bulb which flickered weakly every once in a while. If he listened harder, he could still hear the faint drumming of the rain which had lessened considerably since the last time he was awake. Without thinking, he made to sit up, and regretted it instantly.

Literally almost every inch of his body flared up in searing pain as he tried lifting his arms; Kakuzu scrunched up his face as he waited for the agony to pass. His limbs throbbed mercilessly, and the older man wished he could just black out again. At least then he wouldn't be able to feel anything.

Just then, sudden annoyance washed over him as he realized he was acting like a wimp. He'd survived worse pain than this; he'll live. As the torture died down a little, he quickly took a deep breath and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

All at once, tremendous agony tore through his entire torso and he couldn't help but let out a quiet groan. His head pounded with each heartbeat and his arms were trembling with the effort of keep himself upright. Despite everything, Kakuzu forced himself to stay calm, albeit with great difficulty; as time passed the pain decreased substantially and he was able to make coherent thoughts with his mind once more. He then began to slowly work out the aching knots within his muscles.

Once he was able to turn his head without it feeling like he just got hanged, he was able to get a full view of where he was. Despite all the confusion, he faintly remembered seeing the light just before he passed out in the rain, and wondered if whoever it was had gotten help. Whether it was to aid or arrest them, Kakuzu did not know and did not care at the moment. He looked out the filthy window to his left and saw that it was quite gray outside. There wasn't much in the room that could give away the identity of the house, either. Sighing with frustration, he sat there trying to make sense of everything that happened, and also trying to untangle his dishevelled hair that was surely not going to obey... He might even have to cut it.

Kakuzu had no idea how long he sat there, but as the seconds ticked by, he grew tenser and tenser until he could no longer stay still for another minute. Clutching the wall beside him for support, he dragged himself up onto his feet until he could fully stand. His chakra had barely returned yet and it still hurt to move, and it made him all the more anxious because he'd never been this vulnerable before. However, if he had to engage in battle, he'd be ready.

With determined thoughts in his mind, Kakuzu reached for the kunai he kept in his pocket, and that was when he realized he wasn't in his own clothes anymore. With a start, he took a good look down at himself and realized he was only in a pair of faded black pants that were a bit short and ended near his calves. His previous shirt and cloak were nowhere to be seen and so he cursed inwardly. He now had absolutely no way of defending himself. The masks on his back were long gone, and only the hideous stitches remained. Kakuzu didn't like to recall the day where they had been subsequently destroyed, one by one.

Unfortunately, no one could stay locked up in a dingy old room forever. Taking a few tentative steps forward to test his balance, Kakuzu reached the door and opened it slowly. Its hinges moaned with age and disuse, and the man looked out onto his surroundings.

He was faced with a small living room with two other doors on one side of the wall, and there he could see a small hallway that led off to somewhere else in the house. The place was minimally furnished, and a battered radio was quietly playing on the tea table next to the couch. And in the air, he could smell the warm scent of food wafting down from the narrow hallway. His stomach growled furiously at the reminder of how empty it was. He took another cautious step forward.

Before he had much time to explore, he suddenly heard footsteps coming in his direction. For a moment Kakuzu panicked, and was about to reach for the door behind him again when a figure emerged from the hall carrying the origin of the smell in their hands. To Kakuzu's surprise, it wasn't a threatening individual; an old man with graying white hair and beard, and wrinkles lining his facial features. A pair of glasses sat on his crooked nose, and had a towel precariously wrapped around his neck. Although he seemed weak with age, Kakuzu could see some muscles under the tanned skin. He paused when he saw the stranger staring at him from the doorway.

"Ah, you're awake, I see." The old man set down the covered plates down on the tea table and shut off the radio. They were instantly plunged into silence which the man quickly broke. "Quite a sight you were, lying there looking like you've been dead for a week. You should know not to go outside during these days; the broadcast said it thousands of times."

"Why?" Kakuzu asked, but not after realizing how dumb the question sounded. He wouldn't be surprised if he went brain dead.

"It's dangerous, you see." The old man waved towards the window. "Lots of people die every year from floods, and buildings that come crashing down. Pity, really. Hidden Leaf has some really amazing architecture." He chuckled bitterly.

"Who are you?" Kakuzu asked, not wanting to continue with unnecessary small talk.

"That's what I wanted to ask you," said the old man slowly, raising a brow. "And the thing is, you and your friend obviously don't look like you're ordinary villagers who got caught up in an unfortunate storm."

"I will not answer any questions from you," Kakuzu replied coldly, sending one of his best, chilling glares towards the other.

The man sighed. "The name's Tazuna. I'm just a carpenter from the Mist that came here to help rebuild the village after it was destroyed. I was on my way back from the job when I saw you two."

"Who else lives here?" Kakuzu inquired, still unable to trust him.

"I have a grandson that came with me but he left about a while ago because he wanted to get more workers and help bring over supplies. He won't return for another week or two."

When Kakuzu still eyed Tazuna suspiciously, he threw his hands up in the air and said, "Look, believe me or not, I saw your friend was drowning with his face half buried in the mud—"

 _Hidan._ Kakuzu admonished himself for forgetting about his pathetic wreck of a partner. "Where is he?" Kakuzu cut him off as he remembered the luggage he had with him, and had yet to notice him anywhere.

"I put him in another room; he's kind of… er…" Tazuna made a disgusted face which made Kakuzu cock his head in confusion. He was wordlessly led to one of the two doors and was allowed to step inside, and then he was instantly able to understand what Tazuna was trying to say.

Curled up naked in a fetal position was a deranged figure which was supposed to be the Jashinist. Hidan was shivering lightly and the stitches that held his limbs together were just… awful. Many had fallen out in several places and were seeping out blood along with other fluids that had already soaked the white sheets he lay upon. His hair was still grotesquely unrecognizable due to the soil that had settled in for quite a long time. There were still some places were the flesh was rotten and his entire body was so ghastly pale, it was hard to tell whether he was alive or not. His dull eyes stared, unseeing, at something ahead of him. Kakuzu was horrified at the unexpected scene, and his mind went blank at the atrocity laid out before him.

"What happened to him?" he managed to blurt out after a while. Hidan made no move to acknowledge his voice.

"You tell me," Tazuna said sharply. "How on earth can a person survive like that? It's humanely impossible." They watched the pitiful figure oozing blood for another moment, all the while the Jashinist not moving a muscle. Somewhere far away in Kakuzu's mind, something snapped, like an anchor breaking off of its rope, making the ship float helplessly away into the hazy distance. He suddenly grew livid at the broken immortal scrunched up by his feet.

"He'll die soon," Kakuzu remarked bluntly with no sorrow.

"What are you saying?" Tazuna said, frowning at the sudden statement.

"It's hopeless." Kakuzu was about to turn around, when his arm was caught by a surprisingly strong hand.

"Your friend is lying there, dying. Weak, but still breathing. How can you just walk away when there's still a chance for him to live?"

"He's lived long enough," Kakuzu growled. "I can't help him. Look; that thing doesn't even know who he is anymore."

"Then you help him remember," Tazuna said firmly. "I don't care how pathetic he is to you or how much you say he's useless. I don't care if you're some twisted versions of saints from above or the two cruelest thieves to have ever lived, but no one deserves to die like that."

Kakuzu snatched his arm away. "Shut up," he hissed. "What do you know about him?" He took one last look at the shivering lump and stalked out. He reached his temporary room and slammed the door shut, not caring that it threatened to break off its hinges. With a harsh sigh, he sat down and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

He knew he was being foolish; he wouldn't have brought Hidan with him if he knew he was going to just throw him away later. But then what had he expected? For the Jashinist to just put himself back together and run around cursing like a maniac once more? Of course he'd be a total mess. Kakuzu mentally kicked himself for not thinking that through enough. This was probably the first time he'd acted rashly and he had no idea what to do with it. But seeing the Jashinist so helpless and messed up under a clear light, with no rain and thunder to distract him, had unnerved him greatly. Maybe Hidan would be better off in that hole. _No,_ he thought quickly. No one deserves to rot away alive, six feet under, even if that person turned out to be the bane of his existence.

But this was Hidan, another part of him argued. There were no words to describe how much he hated the man. Why the hell would he, _Kakuzu,_ even think of nursing him back to health, when he could barely even contain the thought of his fist making contact with the idiot's face when he punched him?

 _Damn it, Kakuzu, you dug him up for a reason,_ he thought to himself angrily. _Make up your mind already. Will you help him or not?_

...

_"I don't care if you're some twisted versions of saints from above or the two cruelest thieves to have ever lived, but no one deserves to die like that."_

Was it really true? Could two of the worst criminals ever deserve anything? Even something so simple and natural as dying; would they be able to deserve such release from the real world? Those were the questions that tumbled around in his brain and effectively giving him a migraine, until he heard the door open and Tazuna walked in with a covered plate in his hand. Kakuzu watched warily as he placed it in front of the stitched man and removed the top, revealing a pile of mixed rice and cooked chicken, along with a cup of miso.

"You need your energy," said Tazuna simply when he received a questioning look. "Whoever you are and whatever you do, you can't do it without food." With those words, he got up and left.

It didn't make sense because he'd just lashed out at the old man five minutes ago. Kakuzu would have liked to remain defiant despite it being childish, but his stomach betrayed him with another growl and so he had to dig in, not bothering to check if it was poisoned or not. The feeling of swallowing food was like a heavenly bliss compared to the tiny fish and tree bark he mostly had to live on before. And without knowing it, he had licked the plate clean before he barely had time to register the fact that he was eating.

Inside him, a huge storm of turmoil was raging inside him once more. A small part was relieved that he was able to get food and shelter and not drowning in a river of mud outside; most of his consciousness however, was screaming at him to get a hold of himself, that he was becoming weak and dependant, that he was slowly becoming emulsified into this soft, caring mess that would consequently destroy his entire existence and meaning of life. Deep down inside, he genuinely feared of becoming like his most recent enemies whom he hated the most, of getting sucked into their world of fake smiles and reassurances to cower away from the harsh realities of this world.

Considering those points, the bitter truth was that the Jashinist was his last remaining shard of hope that contained any semblance to his life that he sorely needed.

Compared to them, Kakuzu realized, Hidan was every bit as opposite as a person could be to his enemies. Kakuzu had seen them desperately trying to latch themselves onto hopeless hope that they would fabricate in their minds in times of despair; scrambling to convince themselves that everything was okay, at times when clearly everything was lost. The immortal wasn't like that, no matter how much of an arrogant bastard he turned out to be.

If Hidan was gone, then until he found a similar individual (very unlikely, he mused), Kakuzu didn't know how he would be able to survive in the overwhelming sea of niceties and illusions that would surely drag him down to eventual destruction.

...

With his mind set, Kakuzu arose from his spot once more, and exited his room. He was instantly met with Tazuna who sat on the couch peeling oranges onto a silver tray. The old man looked up at the sound of the door opening and studied the surely daunting figure standing in front of him, yet there were no traces of fear in his face. This was a first for Kakuzu, and for a split second he didn't know what to say or do.

Thankfully, Tazuna spoke first, giving him time to recollect himself. "I hope the food was to your liking," he said casually, looking back down to the oranges. "Although I'm sure you wouldn't have known if I had given you rotten eggs at that point." He chuckled lightly.

"Why are you helping me?" Kakuzu asked rather venomously, still unable to comprehend the fact that anyone would be willing to approach him in the first place, and kind of irked at the notion of someone speaking so lightly to him. "I did not ask for this. I will not be grateful for anything you try to aid me with. I do not plan to repay you in any way. Is there something behind all this?"

"I don't have anything more planned for you," Tazuna said calmly, eyes still transfixed on his orange-peeling. "Help you was my decision to make; I don't expect anything back from you either. But unlike you, I'm not a cruel, heartless bastard who leaves people out in the rain to die."

"I'd care how you speak," Kakuzu snarled, taking a threatening step forward. "Why should I trust you when there could be every conspiracy you are plotting behind my back ready to bite me down?"

"I don't care if you trust me or not," Tazuna snapped, his eyes finally darting back up to meet Kakuzu's. "Maybe you had planned to die out there and I ruined it for you all, but what has happened, happened. Now you can leave, or stay until you decide the best time to do so, but I won't stop you from doing either of them."

Kakuzu glared suspiciously, still unable to fully bring himself to believe the old man. "Where are my clothes?" he asked sourly.

"They're washed and folded up in the dresser in your room. Your belongings are in there as well; I didn't touch them." Tazuna wiped his hands on the towel around his neck. "I couldn't find anything of mine that could fit you. Those were the biggest I had." Kakuzu looked down once again to the ridiculous pants. "Well, son, I've given you food and shelter, along with any other basic needs one must have in order to live. If you can still say I'm trying plotting against you then you have a serious problem."

As much as Kakuzu would've liked to argue with that statement, it was true. No matter how hard he tried to come up with an excuse, there didn't seem to be any flaw in the old man's sincerity, albeit a rather strange one to him. Any other times Kakuzu would've gladly turned down the offer as he still had his pride to keep. However, he was no fool, and right now he needed to get his priorities straight. With a scowl, Kakuzu reluctantly decided to give in for now and let Tazuna help them however he wanted. Though be that as it may, they'd be leaving the moment the _both_ of them were able to walk of two feet. He would not accept any form of having to drag a half-dead person ever again. Also, the minute the old man showed up any signs of betrayal, then he'd kill the man and run for it. He didn't know if he would take Hidan with him or not.

There was no reason for the conversation to go on. Kakuzu quickly turned and studied the place, then opened the door next to the Jashinist's room. Thankfully, it was what he had been looking for; a bathroom. He splashed water onto his face and relieved himself, and quickly brushed out most of the frustrating knots in his hair. If he was going to spend time at this house, then he might as well get used to the place. And he'd do his best to ignore Tazuna, because he just didn't know how to talk to people anymore when he was not planning to kill them. Plus, there was the whole awkwardness of the situation where two former Akatsuki members had been picked up by an old carpenter and were now counting on him to provide the sustenance and shelter. It was hilarious in a way, and infuriating in another. Strange man, Kakuzu had thought multiple times already. If _he_ were any other person, he sure as hell wouldn't think of going through the trouble of moving a strange, dying man and a rotting bundle of flesh inside his own house. But who knew; the human mind worked in many odd ways. Kakuzu looked into the mirror and tried to lighten up his expression. It didn't work; his face was set the way it was, an irritated frown. With a small shrug, he stepped outside and avoided eye contact with Tazuna altogether as he made his way around the house.

After all, what was the worst that could happen?

Unfortunately for him, fate already had an answer for that question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am not sure myself of Tazuna's whereabouts during the aftermath of the battle against Pain, but for the sake of this story, please go with the flow. It is AU, after all, so... xD
> 
> *NOTE* This story will not start out as one of those light, caring Kakuzu fics. In fact, He will be as caring as Kakuzu can get, because the characters in this fanfic will be kept as much in-character as I can possibly make it without it affecting the whole story (I mean, there's gotta be some OOCness, but hopefully none that make you go "dafuq~? e.e". I know right now it's quite dark, but bear with me!)
> 
> There will be more Hidan in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

It was difficult to tell the difference of day and night just by looking out the windows. The same, gloomy gray clouds veiled the skies while heavy streaks of rain pelted down continuously without hesitation, which by now Kakuzu had come to ignore. Only the tiny clock hanging on the wall of the living room showed that it was about 5:55 in the evening.

Kakuzu had paced the entire floor countless times and had already memorized the patterns of the wooden planks that lined the walls and ceiling. His chakra was still teetering on a dangerously low level but he could feel it coming back slowly. On the other hand, his strength had been replenished somewhat more; the food had done wonders to his body. He his arms no longer trembled as he supported his weight while sitting up, and his knees didn't threaten to give out anymore. However, he still kept a good distance away from Tazuna lest the old man started to ask questions. He kept reminding himself that he was still incredibly lucky to have come this far with such minimal inquiries being thrown at his face. One thing he still couldn't understand was why the old man treated them like normal people.

One look at his partner and the whole wide world's existence would agree that something was not right.

He had gone back to his own room and checked the dressers; his belongings— a sad bundle of fabric and metal— were indeed sitting folded as neatly as they could have been folded. He remembered ripping his shirt off in his exasperation. His pants were still thankfully intact, which he had changed into. As he inspected, he noticed his black traveller's cloak he'd stolen from a careless tea shop customer had a large tear down its hood. When he reached into its pockets, he pulled out a shredded mess; what little money he had in there had been soaked and destroyed beyond recognition. He slid his single kunai knife into his belt just in case. Still shirtless, but now feeling somewhat more secure, Kakuzu stood up.

If he didn't see to the Jashinist very soon, things could get really hard to fix, and he knew it. Despite the urgency, he couldn't explain the reason for stalling; he just couldn't help it. He refused to believe it was because he was nervous. No, he wasn't; it was far more complicated than that. He didn't like this new, complex mixture of emotions towards Hidan; before it would be just simple anger, nothing else. Now, a variety of thoughts popped into his mind whenever he turned to face the door that concealed the dying immortal man. With each growing second, his scowl deepened.

There was also the whole situation concerning Tazuna. Although he should've explained to him the possible consequences of trying to revive a chopped up Hidan inside a tiny, enclosed space, even he couldn't predict the actions of the Jashinist now. In this condition, Kakuzu knew he'd be as stable as a rogue bomb. He'd noticed Tazuna's eyes flickering over to the door more than once. Kakuzu had yet to hear any sign of life behind the frame of wood and he wasn't quite sure if he was relieved or worried about it. The old man had suggested casually if he should bring in a bowl of soup or something; Kakuzu had 'casually' replied that it'd be the same as trying to force feed a dead man.

Glancing at the clock again, which now pointed to ten minutes after six o' clock, Kakuzu sighed deeply and decided to just go and get it over with. His consciousness screamed at him for not coming to that conclusion sooner, as he finally turned and faced the door for one last time.

Tazuna was nowhere to be seen in the vicinity, and Kakuzu didn't bother to wonder where he was. Before he could change his mind, he crossed the living room in five quick steps and reached for the battered doorknob, and thrust it open with no gentleness.

His eyes fell upon the figure that hadn't moved an inch since the last time he entered the room. In fact now the Jashinist, if possible, looked even worse than before. He was so deathly pale the dark stitches stood out as an alarming contrast to the skin. The blood and other fluids had dried and crusted on the sheets and floor, staining them a rusty color of brown.

Kakuzu approached Hidan with slow steps, until he stood directly over the man. With a quiet sigh, he sat down next to him. He noticed with a frown that Hidan had ceased to shiver, and his eyes were closed. Anyone could come in and believe him to be dead.

In fact, that might just be what happened. Blinking, Kakuzu reached out and felt for a pulse. His eyes widened a fraction when he felt nothing.

The older man was on his knees in an instant and was shaking the Jashinist harshly, trying to get a response out of him. He was sure if he had shaken him harder he would've dislocated the immobile limbs. The figure just flopped lifelessly under his hands, skin almost transparent and colder than ice to the touch. Kakuzu was teetering on the verge of panic now. Without thinking, he placed both hands on the Jashinist's chest and forced what little chakra he had managed to regenerate into the other's system. The body beneath him convulsed slightly at the shock, but otherwise remained unresponsive. Cursing loudly, Kakuzu tried again. This time, he thought he felt the heart muscles contracting for a split second, but only to fail once more.

"NO!" Kakuzu grabbed the nearest thing he could reach— a small photo frame sitting precariously atop a dresser— and threw it as hard as he could at the wall. It shattered with a satisfying crash and dozens of tiny glass fragments clattered to the ground a few feet away.

It didn't matter that he was dead; after all, it was one less individual to worry about. Kakuzu glowered furiously at the lifeless body sprawled out in front of him. His stupid brain was beginning its arguments again.

He could carry on and live his life in peace, without worrying about secret organizations and loud Jashinists.

He'd travel the world collecting bounties and doing all of the other stuff he'd wanted to do in his life.

_"The next generation will always surpass the previous one. It's one of the never-ending cycles in life."_

_But,_ he hissed at himself, effectively cutting off all other seductive whispers from his consciousness; if he wanted to escape from this hellhole and all its nonsensical madness, he needed Hidan, and he could handle his rage towards him. No matter how much he wanted to deny the fact.

With eyes blazing, Kakuzu positioned his palms onto the freezing chest once more, and with a deep breath, squeezed out every ounce of chakra he could muster with all his strength. Within half a split second, there was an explosive flash of energy that flooded the entire room, and then it was gone.

Kakuzu suddenly felt as if his entire body had been emulsified as he caught himself tumbling backwards from exhaustion. Panting hard and feeling as though he'd pass out any second, he forced himself to reach out for a pulse. To his relief he felt a faint throb in the arteries as the immortal heart finally sprang back to life once more. However, just at that moment, he noticed Hidan's skin starting to turn blue. With a groan, he realized that he still wasn't breathing.

The older man straightened up and almost fell right atop the Jashinist and barely managed to catch himself before he did. With shaking arms, he pressed down on the ribs of the figure again and began to pump it up and down. He reached out and tilted the chin upwards; he pinched Hidan's nose, filled his own lungs with air and by placing his own mouth over the Jashinist's, he blew as hard as he could without collapsing himself of oxygen deprivation.

He could feel the starved lungs swelling up, but there was still no actual response and Kakuzu growled in irritation. He blew into his mouth again and slammed his fist on his chest with satisfying cracks. He repeated the process a few times over. The Jashinist was slowly starting to lose his pulse again.

Kakuzu wanted to scream with frustration. With one last gulp of air he puffed into Hidan's mouth one last time and threw his entire weight onto his hand, and shoved down on the chest as hard as he could. All at once, there was a horrible gurgling noise; thick blood mixed with water spurted from the Jashinist's mouth and trickled down either sides of his face, following by a series of horrible coughs. Kakuzu could no longer gather the energy to stay awake. He felt strained beyond words and didn't realize he had instantly crumpled to the floor next to his former Akatsuki partner until his head hit the floor with a thud. He didn't even have time to congratulate himself for bringing that damned idiot back to life again. The last thing he heard was a huge rattling gasp tearing through Hidan's throat as he took his first breath, and then everything was black.

~*o*~

Kakuzu jolted awake when he felt a block of ice touch his skin. His eyes took time to focus and when he did, he realized he was lying face down into a bundle of bloodstained sheets and recoiled in disgust. He looked around for the source of his awakening, and was met with a surprise.

Hidan was lying next to him and was looking at the older man's direction with glazed eyes. Kakuzu paused when he saw that a pale arm was reached out over to his space, the stitches of the limb loosening. He saw that most of the man's body had barely managed to heal together, and that the nerves had only just begun to reconnect themselves. Some of the minor cuts and blemishes had vanished, but it wasn't enough.

Massaging his temples haggardly, Kakuzu looked around and saw a tray of rice and fish stew waiting for him atop the dresser. The broken glass had been cleaned up, and the frame was nowhere to be seen. Kakuzu forced himself to gulp down whatever he could manage on the plate; Hidan remained wordless in the corner of his eyes.

When he set his spoon down and turned back, the Jashinist was still staring at him but it was as if he didn't really see him at all. Kakuzu waved his hand in front of his face; he didn't blink. A tinge of annoyance flared up in his chest. He mindlessly jabbed at the pale shoulder with a finger, and that was when all hell broke loose.

A deranged cry rose from Hidan's throat and his eyes flared up with life. His gaze darted from one place to another and a sickened look washed over his face. He scrambled blindly away from the general direction from where the poke came from, making odd, wheezing noises. The stitches tore out of his flesh and blood began to seep from the wounds again.

"Stop it," Kakuzu grunted, hands shooting out to hold the Jashinist steady. But making contact with him only made things worse, as Hidan practically began to scream, retaliating violently and trying to throw off whomever he thought was pinning him down. "Hidan!" shouted Kakuzu, desperately trying to prevent him from moving too much lest the stitches really fall out. "Calm down!"

Hidan didn't seem to hear him. He began to make incoherent, deranged animal noises in the back of his throat and continued to fight off the older man with surprisingly strong limbs. Kakuzu could hear the stitches beginning to rip.

"Hidan, god damn it!" Kakuzu managed to pin down the Jashinist's legs and ducked to avoid the flailing arms. "Idiot, it's just me!"

At those words, Hidan froze, his eyes seeming to search wildly for the source of the voice. When he finally noticed the older man right in front of him, his tense muscles relaxed somewhat, but there was still an odd look that remained on his face that Kakuzu didn't like.

When he made sure that the Jashinist wasn't going to have another fit again, Kakuzu slowly let go. Hidan was still staring at him with wide, bulging eyes as if he'd never seen him before. Having exhausted himself already, Kakuzu groaned quietly and held his head in his palm and closed his eyes. How many times was he going to use up his life energy on this stupid man?

When he looked back up again, Hidan had yet to cease ogling at him like some exotic zoo animal. Kakuzu sighed for the umpteenth time that day. Being entirely cognizant of the Jashinist's stupidity didn't help with this nonsensical rubbish.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as normally as he could with a scratchy, irritated voice. He guessed yelling at the poor creature wouldn't help either parties.

Hidan, blinked, his eyes seeming to clear up a bit. For the first time in a while, he seemed to truly see what was in front of him. He only began to answer a few moments later when he realized that a question had been asked. "Lhy'..." his brow crinkled when he still couldn't formulate proper sentences yet with his torn mouth. "Lhy' shut."

"Not surprising," Kakuzu commented. He inspected the Jashinist's body. He couldn't stitch the wounds back together now; he barely had any chakra left. At least only a few of them were bleeding, and the legs were well on their way to restoration. Everything above that was nothing short of a disaster. Kakuzu really had to do something about that rip in his cheek; the impaired speech was annoying the both of them.

"Yhoo—" Hidan wheezed, trying to stop saliva from dribbling out of his mouth. "Brok' muh ribth..."

"They're fractured; they'll heal soon." Kakuzu shook his head at how fast the Jashinist had turned to complaining. Well, at least something was coming back to normal. He cracked his neck a couple of times before moving closer. "Open your mouth."

"Wh—"

"Just do it," he warned.

Contrary to his expectations, Hidan complied, and gave the older man a better view of his mangled cheek. Not only was that, but Kakuzu discovered that his tongue had become a bloodied mess. Things were just getting more and more complicated.

The Jashinist closed his mouth when Kakuzu just stared blankly for a couple minutes. No one spoke for a long time, until a weak cough emerged from the helpless figure which brought Kakuzu back to reality. Without any explanations or warnings, he stood up and left the room, returning with a large bowl of steaming water and a towel. He reached out and wordlessly began to stitch the torn cheek closed; he did this slowly and carefully, with minimal chakra lest he passed out again. He frequently wiped away the blood with the towel, and made sure the seam was tight, secure, and thin as possible before moving on. After he'd finished, you could barely tell that there was a grotesque wound there.

Kakuzu was already beginning to feel nauseous from his chakra overexertion, but he still had one more task. He commanded Hidan to open his mouth again, and began the tedious job of sewing his tongue back together.

He used the finest threads he had and it was still an aggravating task. Hidan, to his immense surprise, had kept still and quiet throughout the entire process. When Kakuzu was halfway through, his eyelids began to droop and jaw become slack, so the older man had to pry it open to see his work. As soon as the thread made its last loop, Kakuzu took a deep breath and straightened up, blinking away stars from his vision.

He'd finished two tiny rips out of dozens and he was already wiped out. There was no way he would be able to continue for today. As he glanced back at the Jashinist, he realized that he had fallen asleep. Kakuzu slowly gathered up the bowl and towel and made his way out of the room without tipping over.

No longer had he shut the door closed behind him and he was met by Tazuna dressed in a sagging, oversized raincoat that dripped all over the floor. "You know, being a friend the least you could do is change his sheets or something," he retorted. "It's a bloody mess, literally. Or maybe give him some blankets. Imagine being naked in that room all by yourself!"

"Shut up, old man," Kakuzu snapped at him, heading towards the bathroom to dump the water. "And he's not a friend."

"I still find it hard to believe that you're not doing anything to help his situation." Tazuna followed him, watching the stitched man pour the pink, blood tinged water down the sink.

"I'm doing all that I can to help," Kakuzu growled, growing agitated. Who the hell did this old geezer think he was, judging him for his nursing abilities? "Stop trying to pretend you know everything."

"Son, have you seen his face? He's a complete wreck."

"I've very damn well seen his face!" Kakuzu snarled, whirling around to glare at Tazuna with venomous eyes. "I've seen that disgusting face more times that I would've liked to. And I'm prettying it back up for him! Isn't that enough?!"

"I'm not talking physically."

"Then what the hell are you talking about?!" Kakuzu was at the point where he wanted to throw the geezer out the nearest window. It was a miracle that he was supressing his murderous intent to kill, albeit barely. "No, don't answer that. In fact, I don't want you talking about him anymore. I'm still getting a feeling you're plotting something behind me."

"Have you been deceived your whole life? You're just being paranoid. "

"I am not paranoid."

"Whatever you say." Tazuna sighed, shaking his head. He turned his back on a fuming Kakuzu who currently looked extremely intimidating indeed, and would've left anyone fleeing for their lives except for this old man who just seemed to be fleeing for his dinner. The stitched man was left alone in the bathroom to think about what had just happened, but he didn't because he suddenly felt like passing out again. He wanted to smash his head into the mirror for feeling so frail, but instead he dragged himself back to his room and collapsed face first onto the mess of sheets and blankets and fell asleep nearly instantly, his troubles still on mind.

~*o*~

The next time Kakuzu opened his eyes, all he could see was black. But he knew that it was because he'd crashed right into the futon in a face-plant and had his visage squished into the bundles of fabric, and he was breathing in a great deal of mothball fumes. He quickly flipped over onto his back and let out a deep, calming breath. He relaxed his straining muscles, and focused solely on the pitter-patter of rain. He was going to try to take things easy today. He wasn't going to let Tazuna or Hidan get on his nerves. He also wasn't going to flip out like before, as that was probably extremely childish of him.

Some part of him deep down had known that he would have to face difficulties and that this would be one of them. He'd sworn to himself that they wouldn't change his mind; of course, everyone could tell themselves that, until the difficulties came. Kakuzu thought he had a much clearer view of his road ahead and now he cursed himself for his naivety. It wasn't because his judging skills lacked. He was just foreign to the whole situation and had no idea what the hell to do with it.

As he sat up, he noticed a plate of food sitting innocently atop the dresser like before. Kakuzu looked at it for a moment, and then reached for it and scarfed it down. He didn't like to show the fact that the old man was doing him a favor, but there were times when people had no choice.

After visiting the bathroom, he got out and read the clock to a quarter before noon. Great, he'd wasted almost half a day sleeping again. Now that he was feeling better with a good rest, he felt his chakra beginning to return a little faster. Without allowing his internal thoughts to start debating again, he mindlessly walked over to the certain door and thrust it open.

It was like checking up on a sick pet. Kakuzu couldn't describe it any other way; what more could this be called doing? The first thing he noticed was that the sheets that Hidan was lying on were clean. Unfortunately, the dirt and grime that littered the whole figure was still there. Upon his arrival, the Jashinist jumped and his wide eyes darted up to the older man.

Ignoring this questionable behavior, Kakuzu shut the door and seated himself next to his former partner. Hidan squirmed and tried to crawl away as their distances closed up.

"Come back," Kakuzu told him. "I need to stitch you back up."

"No!" Hidan inched away further. "Why shou' I trus' you, when you cou' be… be…" He struggled to remember his next words.

"You're delusional," Kakuzu replied flatly. "Now stay still while I put your stupid body back together." He reached over and went to work right away, taking out old stitches and replacing them with new ones. He noted how the Jashinist was still ice cold to the touch and hadn't ceased his shivering. Now that he could actually see what was in front of him, unlike the time in the forest, his job was made much easier in comparison. However, it was still no mediocre task. Every once in a while Hidan would flinch in discomfort, or even try to bat him away. By the time he was finished, large beads of sweat had formed on his brow, but he was satisfied nonetheless. At least now the Jashinist looked like a much neater ragdoll.

"Done," the older man announced as he straightened his back and wiped his forehead. "I still don't want you moving so much, though. If you have one of those fits again then I'll kill you," he added the last bit as a warning.

" 'Ch." Hidan made a weak attempt to roll his eyes. "Wha'ever, asshole."

Kakuzu let out a small sigh as the Jashinist seemed to return to his old self again. His gaze sweeped over the figure once more and decided that at least the unruly hair needed a washing as soon as possible.

" 'Ey, ol' man," came Hidan's mocking voice. "Stop looking a' my dick an' pull yourself toge'her."

"I wasn't looking at that, you moron." Kakuzu cracked his neck before stretching and got to his feet.

Suddenly, every muscle in the Jashinist's body seemed to tense. "Where are you goin'?" he croaked.

"Out." Kakuzu turned around and started to head towards the door, which made Hidan break out into hysterics.

"Don' go!" came his scrambled plea. The older man slowly turned around with a raised eyebrow and saw that Hidan had a look of horror in his eyes that quickly faded, only to be replaced by a slight nervousness. "I..."

"What?"

"Uh... nevermin'... jus' fuck off."

Kakuzu shook his head in confusion and left the room gladly. He didn't understand why he was being so jumpy, but he waved it away. This was Hidan after all, and the man was a strange monstrosity. Kakuzu trudged back to his room and was about to collapse back onto the futon but the sight of the wool blanket clumped up in the corner caught his eye. For a minute, he contemplated giving it to Hidan or not. He was immortal, for God's sake. He didn't need to be fussed over like a baby. Kakuzu frowned.

...

A minute later, the door to Hidan's room creaked open and the violet eyes shot up to greet the visitor. A rolled up blanket was thrown and hit the Jashinist in the face before the door was clicked shut again.

Now that he'd done more than his generous side could ever handle for a day, Kakuzu needed some time to himself. He leaned against the wall and rubbed his temples, trying to sort out his thoughts. He needed to know what to do next, and if he wanted to do them, he'd do them properly. All Kakuzu wanted was his life back. And even if he had no idea what he was setting himself up for, he wanted to do everything to achieve it.


	4. Chapter 4

The next three days, Kakuzu spent most of his time bustling in and out of Hidan's room like a servant, carrying out dirty bowls of water and refilling it. He tried and unsuccessfully got Hidan to stand up by himself, although by now the Jashinist could sit up, but only if he was leaning against the wall and the dresser pushed up to his side for him to clutch on to. The only thing that Kakuzu was satisfied about was Hidan's slow but sure recovery; he could see the limbs beginning to mold themselves back together and it was even deemed okay for him to remove the smaller stitches, such as the little rips and tears in his flesh.

On the third day, Kakuzu was determined to get Hidan into the bath no matter what. He had filled the tub with water but then was rudely stopped by Tazuna, whom had stalked in and felt the water, and started yelling at him for the water being too cold. Kakuzu had yelled back, shocked and angry at the fact that someone had dared to raise their voice at him. After about five minutes of quarreling and a few cups being smashed, Tazuna let out a final, snappy remark and left the bathroom. Seething, Kakuzu glowered scathingly at his back until he disappeared. He took a few minutes to calm himself down before he went to go fetch Hidan, but not before reluctantly turning around to make sure that the bath water was warm.

He instantly regretted doing anything nice however, once he reached the Jashinist. As soon as he'd put his hand on the ice cold shoulder, Hidan flipped once more. He growled and lashed out like a feral beast, eyes blazing with some emotion that Kakuzu could not identify because he was too busy dodging the punches and kicks that were being thrown at his way. After strangling him for a minute, the Jashinist seemed to return to the real world at last, panting and eyes bulging ludicrously.

Kakuzu finally hauled the naked figure over his shoulder and dumped him into the tub, effectively splashing a third of the water out everywhere in the bathroom, half on him. Scowling down at his wet pants, he grabbed a towel for himself and a bar of soap which he threw at Hidan, hitting him on the head. The Jashinist just stared dully at the thing in his lap, not registering what it was.

Kakuzu nudged the filthy figure. "Oi," he said gruffly. "Wake up."

The man blinked and seemed to do so, but continued to give him a blank look.

"Wash," Kakuzu commanded.

"No." Hidan turned away from the older man. "Ge' me ou'a here." He began to make to stand up, but was held down by a strong grip on his shoulders.

"You're not going anywhere till you wash that disgusting filth off you," Kakuzu snapped. He brought up a small bathroom stool and sat on it, crossing his arms. "You and I are not leaving this place until you do."

"Fuck off, ol' man." Hidan turned around and his eyes were filled with malice. "I can' do shi' righ' now."

"I don't have the time to argue with you," Kakuzu growled. He tossed the washing cloth at the Jashinist like it was a rotten fish. "Now _wash."_

"No."

"That's not an option."

"I don' care."

_"Wash your damn ass, Hidan."_

"Fuckin' make me!" The Jashinist suddenly grabbed the soap and hurled it at the older man's face with great force. Kakuzu dodged it just in time and he heard it shatter against the wall behind him. Anger exploded inside his chest; he marched forward and punched the Jashinist right in the face. His whole head snapped to the side and blood sprayed the shower curtains, mingling with the water droplets that were forming on the white patterns. Hidan just smiled and chuckled hoarsely, his teeth covered with red blood.

"I'm going to kill you," Kakuzu snarled ferociously, his fist still throbbing with the impact of Hidan's skull.

"Jus' try i', ol' man," Hidan coughed, spitting out a big glob of blood and saliva into the water.

Kakuzu took a deep, calming breath to find tranquility. No, he couldn't lose his cool now; he'd come this far. He couldn't afford to stop here. Plus this time it was different; Hidan was no longer his punchbag like he used to be, as least not for now while he recovered. He needed a different way to control his anger. He opened his eyes after a few moments of re-gathering his senses. Yes, that was better now. All he had to do was not think about the Jashinist so much.

It was all good.

_Keep telling yourself that, Kakuzu,_ he muttered to himself.

Without a word, he walked over to where the shattered soap was scattered on the ground in a dozen or so pieces. He swept them up with his hands and threw them in the trash. After, he opened the cabinet and found a new bar of soap which he took out of the paper wrapping. With that in hand, he returned and reached inside the tub for the wash cloth.

"Wha' are you doin'?" Hidan spat, watching Kakuzu's every move with a suspicious glare.

The older man didn't answer; he didn't even look at the Jashinist. Instead, he wet the soap and began to rub it into the wash cloth until loads of white foam began to form, quickly covering the entire cloth. And without warning he reached out, grabbed a handful of Hidan's hair and began to scrub, _hard._

_"Oww!"_ Hidan shrieked and flailed, trying to shove the assaulting hands away but to no avail. "Wha' the _fuck_ — stop i'— motherfucker! _Tha' hur's!"_

Kakuzu ignored him, making sure his vigorous scrubbing got to every single crack and crevice of Hidan's head. Thick streams of black and brown dirt began to run down the Jashinist's face in a big, soapy mess and successfully turned the bath water into a filthy wreck in no time. Next, he moved down to his body where even more dirt and grime began to wash off and add to the murky monstrosity in the tub.

Hidan kicked and screeched at him, whining that it stung, only to have soap shoved in his eyes by unmerciful hands. Water splashed everywhere, and by the time Kakuzu was done, his arm was sore and Hidan was covered with brown, foamy soap from head to toe, his skin glowing red from the abusive scrubbing. He reached over and pulled the drainage plug, and twisted the knob on where the fresh water blasted out of the pipe. Kakuzu grabbed a hold of the Jashinist's neck and dunked him under the fierce stream. The struggling idiot would try to raise his head out and clog the pipe, which would make the water spray in every direction outwards, and then he'd be shoved back down by a strong arm.

Kakuzu made sure all the soap and grime was washed off, until he shut off the water and let go of his captive. Hidan emerged coughing and spluttering, taking huge, gulping breaths as his starved lungs greedily took in air. His hair, plastered over his eyes and ears like some ridiculous swim hat, was now glistening silver again. His skin was a still red from the harsh treatment, but at least now it was _clean._ Kakuzu washed his hands in the sink, a little irked by what he had done but still satisfied to deal with someone somewhat more orderly now.

"You fuckin' piece of shi'!" Hidan hollered from his place, still sat within the now empty tub. His hair was pushed back but his eyes were screwed tightly shut. "Tha' fuckin' hur', you bas'ard!"

Kakuzu threw a towel at his face which the Jashinist used to desperately wipe at his eyes. "Tha' was the wors' fuckin' bath I've ever had, asshole! Were you tryin' to skin me alive or somethin'!?"

"If you're done, then get out," Kakuzu told him flatly, wiping down the excess blood that was left on the curtains.

"I can' fuckin' stand by myself, you dumbass!" Hidan's loud voice rang inexplicably in the bathroom and pierced the older man's eardrums.

"Right, then I'll help you."

"I don' need your fuckin' help!"

"...right." Kakuzu turned around. "Good luck getting back to your room by yourself."

"Wait!" The stitched man paused in his steps and looked back. Hidan, who was now able to open his eyes, was gaping at Kakuzu as if he'd just committed the worst crime in the world. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, eyes widening. He finally spoke, voice not as confident as before. "You can' go wi'hout me!"

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed slightly at this strange, repulsive behavior. What the hell was wrong with him? It was as if he was possessed.

He turned back around and made his way back to the Jashinist until he was standing directly over the man. Only on rare cases would Hidan really become this nervous, and this time Kakuzu didn't know why. This was Hidan, and he wouldn't just go acting as if he just saw a monster, when the man seemed to be a monster himself.

"Is there something you're not telling me?' Kakuzu asked slowly, eyes narrowing further.

Hidan looked up at him with wide, accusing eyes. "Why the fuck wou' you think tha'?" he spat back.

"...Hn. Nothing." Kakuzu shook his head and reached over, and threw the Jashinist over his shoulder once more. His shivering had died down significantly; the warm water had done its job. The two of them returned to the room and Kakuzu let Hidan go, gentler than last time. The figure immediately wrapped the blanket around himself.

"It's always so fuckin' freezin' in this place," he complained. "And why can' I ge' some clothes instea' of bein' buck-ass nude all the time?"

"I don't have any spares, but I'll ask for some soon," Kakuzu replied.

"Ask?" Hidan raised an eyebrow. "Jus' steal 'em, Kakuzu!"

"I can't, I..." Kakuzu growled in frustration, rubbing his temples. "I have to gain his trust."

The Jashinist did his best to scoff. "Trus'? Who the hell trus's anyone these days? Come on man, you're was'ing your time."

"I am not wasting my time, but I will be if I keep listening to your stupid rants." Kakuzu stood up and stretched his back until a few popping sounds were heard. "Now shut up and be still." He headed towards the door.

"Where are you goin'?"

"None of your business." With that, Kakuzu left, closing the door none too gently.

~*o*~

It was always a known factor to Kakuzu that his partner would constantly make sure he didn't get separated from the older man, no matter how much either of them complained about the other lacking fighting skills and whatnot. Kakuzu knew that an enemy, with the correct skill set, could easily subdue Hidan and prevent him from performing his ritual when he was alone, especially if he didn't have someone there to aid him. He'd thought many times that the Jashinist was hovering around his line of sight annoyingly too often and so he'd move away, only to have him follow. It was like having a shadow that never shut up.

Being more of a soloist, Kakuzu had never preferred to fight as a team. He believed that it was only a waste of time; if the other was down, then he'd have to tend to them and that would just leave him open to the enemy. Fortunately, or unfortunately, one could say in Kakuzu's case, Hidan was immortal. You didn't have to worry about wounds or injuries with him. It didn't matter if suddenly the Jashinist was pierced through the chest with a sword, or if an arm had been severed off. They'd just keep going, as if nothing had happened.

That was the thing, however. Whatever happened to his body, Hidan would keep going. Even if he'd been decapitated, Kakuzu was there to reattach his head for him. Because other than those minor, physical impairments that acted as little obstacles, there was nothing stopping Hidan. And Kakuzu was so used to that, so he was completely not prepared for the current situations at hand. He'd look back and Hidan wouldn't be there. He could leave the house this very moment, and he wouldn't have a groaning and complaining Jashinist following him out. A battle could break out this very minute, and Hidan wouldn't be there and ready to perform their flawless combo attacks.

They were alone and independent, the both of them. They were left to either fend for themselves, or dig their way out of this miserable predicament together.

In the end, it really depended on what kind of person you were. Kakuzu was never one to go looking out for comrades. Perhaps he did, many, many years ago, but those days were long forgotten. He no longer cared nor did he chew his nails over the notion of losing a fellow co-worker. Because in the end, it all came down to himself; for his profit, and for his benefit only. Kakuzu didn't call it being selfish. He called it survival.

And here he was; him in all his bloody, battle-scarred glory, sitting in a musty old room trying to bring his former partner back together. A blacksmith setting his hammer down and picking up a paintbrush, trying to sketch out delicate meadows and flowering fields. It just didn't work that way, yet he was doing it, albeit awkwardly. Kakuzu twirled his kunai between his fingers, studying its dulled and cracked edges, its battered handle precariously holding itself together by worn bandages. He stared down at his arms where the ugly stitches held his own body together; something he was proud of, yet loathed at the same time.

…

Having nothing better to do (he was definitely not planning to go see Hidan any time soon again, not after that bathing incident yesterday), Kakuzu opened the drawers of the second dresser he sat next to, and discovered nothing but a couple of dead cockroaches, until he came to the last section where he found a photo clouded with dust. He picked it up and brushed it off, and saw that it was a picture of Tazuna and a little boy standing next to him, in front of a bridge that seemed to be under construction. The boy was wearing a hat that shaded his scowling eyes, and his depressed demeanor was a stark contrast to the smiling face of the old man.

"You know, you ought to make more noise; I keep thinking that you died in there or something," came Tazuna's sudden voice as he entered Kakuzu's room with a tray of fruits and a slice of cake. He seated himself opposite of the stitched man and set the tray in between them. His eyes trailed down to the photo in Kakuzu's hand. "Oh, that? It feels like such a long time ago. That's my grandson, Inari. Such a wonderful boy, he is."

"He doesn't look too happy," Kakuzu commented. He didn't know why he was entertaining the man. He usually hated small talk.

"That was after Kaiza died," Tazuna said gravely. "The guy was like a father to him. After his death, Inari changed. He'd basically given up on life. Never went out to run and play like he used to."

"Mm."

"Fortunately though, the Leaf ninja came to help deal with a few problems in the Land of Waves. That Naruto kid changed his way of thinking."

"What?" Kakuzu's ears perked up. "Who did you say?"

"Naruto, the Leaf ninja boy." Tazuna frowned. "Surely you must have heard of him. He saved the entire Leaf village from that Akatsuki figure. Pain, he called himself I think. Crazy guy, if you ask me. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here."

"Naruto saved the Leaf village?" Kakuzu repeated. "All by himself?"

"Of course. He's mastered some technique called Sage Mode or something like that. He's pretty famous now, if you ask me. Got rid of those Akatsuki creeps for us. I reckon—"

"Is this Naruto kid still alive?" Kakuzu demanded, cutting him off. "What about his teachers, are they alive too?"

"What are you talking about, of course they are," Tazuna snapped. "They're wonderful people. They've even been kind enough to find us a place to stay here, free of charge." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why, you don't... want them _dead,_ do you?"

"Of course not," Kakuzu lied quickly. "I just heard about them. I know Pain is dangerous, and I was just worried about them is all."

So the Kyuubi kid was still alive and roaming, along with Kakashi as well. Anger bubbled inside his chest at the thought of the Copy Ninja. He could care less about the Akatsuki or its goals now. However, he wanted to have all the Leaf ninja's hearts in his hands for throwing him into this abysmal state. How different would his life be as of now if it weren't for them? Of course, he'd still probably be stuck in Akatsuki, but even that organization didn't last very long, seeing things as of present day.

But for now, he pushed the thought away. Vengeance would come later; he had more urgent matters at hand at the current time.

Tazuna had quickly extinguished all suspicion and was now slicing the apples into smaller bits. "And so that's why we decided to call it the Great Naruto Bridge," he was saying. "Zabuza and Haku were killed, along with Gato. But I was just glad that Inari came back to his usual, cheerful self."

"Hm." Kakuzu absentmindedly chewed on an apple slice; he really didn't care about the old man and his personal life.

"The rain will be letting up for a few days soon," Tazuna said. "That's good, because I think we all need a break. The rivers have flooded enough, too. I'll have to start working more often, and get some of the houses back up. Have you seen the village? Or what's left of it really. It's a total wreck. There's nothing there, it's all been destroyed. Apparently by a single blast; that's one powerful technique, I have to say. I just don't understand why they wouldn't use it for good things.

"Oh, that's right, my grandson is coming back tomorrow," Tazuna said as he suddenly seemed to remember, beaming. "He's returned from the Land of Waves with more workers. He sent me a letter yesterday. He's also bringing that Naruto kid over—"

Kakuzu choked on his apple. "He _what!?"_

"After that incident, Inari and the boy have been friends ever since," Tazuna said proudly. "Never hurts to have a _hero_ close to you. Speaking of which, I'd better grab some ramen at the grocery, the kid loves the stuff—"

"We have to leave." Kakuzu was almost panicking now. If the Kyuubi kid came, then no disguise would hide them away from him. He'd recognize them right away, and all hell would break loose. As much as he wanted to settle matters with the kid, there was just no way he'd be able to fight in this condition, especially with Hidan barely alive. And if he was as strong as Tazuna had let on, then as much as Kakuzu hated to admit it, they'd be no match for him in their current state. With his single heart thumping furiously in his ears, he scrambled to his feet, only to have his vision blackened and he swayed for a moment, blinking stars away.

"Are you alright?" Tazuna asked with a concerned frown. "Look son, I know you want to leave this old house and all, but right now neither of you are in condition to go anywhere especially in this weather. Why don't you wait a few more days and see if—"

"No," Kakuzu said firmly, finding his balance again. "Things came up and we must go as soon as possible."

"What about your friend? He doesn't look like he'd be able to walk."

"He's fine, and he's not my friend." Kakuzu grabbed his cloak out of the dresser and made sure his kunai was safely tucked into his belt. He slipped into his sandals and made his way out of his room. He swiftly made his way across the living room and opened the Jashinist's room. Hidan was curled up under the wool blanket in a deep sleep. Kakuzu grabbed his shoulder and shook him harshly awake.

"Get up," he hissed. "Now."

Hidan's eyes shot open and he slashed blindly in front of him with his hands, when he realized who it was. "Wha's goin' on?" he asked blearily.

"We have to leave," Kakuzu muttered. He forcefully pulled the Jashinist into a sitting position and quickly assessed his condition. His limbs were thankfully almost fully attached, but weakly. Kakuzu sent chakra through the stitches so that they tightened, and began to haul Hidan up to his feet.

"Ow, s'op it, you asshole!" Hidan growled, trying to pull his arm away. "Tha' hur's, damn i'!"

"I don't care," Kakuzu snarled, pulling harder. "Get up now!"

"No, for fuck's sake, I can' s'and on my own!" Hidan was prying at the older man's fingers. "I can barely crawl, okay?"

"Well you have to start walking at some point, and we really have to go, so—"

"Are you actually trying to leave like that?" Kakuzu turned around at Tazuna's exasperated voice, and saw the old man at the door. "You can stay a bit longer, I'm serious—"

"No, we must go now, and I'm serious," Kakuzu deadpanned, never stopping to try and pull a whining Hidan up to his feet. "We have our own reasons."

Tazuna sighed, shaking his head. "Very well then. Here, take this." He threw an old knapsack at the stitched man who caught it with a raised eyebrow. "Rice balls, and a couple of those chakra pills. You're a ninja, right? I still had a few lying around after Naruto's team came and went, so I thought you could use them."

"...You didn't have to—"

"I wanted to," Tazuna said, shrugging. "So, take them or leave it, it's up to you."

Before anyone could say anything else however, there was a loud, violent knocking at the front door.

…

"Hey, gramps!" Hidan and Kakuzu both froze all movements and breathing at the sound of a foreign voice calling through the entrance. "It's me, Inari! Surprise early visit!"

"How're ya doin' old man Tazuna?" came another obnoxious shout, and Kakuzu's heart stopped at the familiarity. "I hope you have some ramen left for me!"

Tazuna laughed heartily, as opposed to Kakuzu who was feeling an Arctic breeze run through his spine. "Coming, boys!" He left to answer the door, which left the two former Akatsuki members to remain there and panic. They had to leave _now,_ and fast. Without thinking, Kakuzu bolted over to the door and slammed it shut. He heard the front door open at the same moment and two pairs of feet stamping on the mat. The older man found the keyhole and peered through, and was thankfully able to see a few things that were going on.

He saw Tazuna lead two other figures to the living room, one whom Kakuzu guessed to be an older version of Inari, and the other was definitely the Kyuubi kid. However, one thing caught his attention. Naruto's face was blackened and bruised almost to the point of no recognition, and one of his eyes had been completely swollen shut. He had bandages wrapped around his forehead and chin, and there were numerous cuts and scratches on his cheeks. Kakuzu had no idea where he'd gotten them but a small flare of hope flickered in his chest. Perhaps they could possibly escape without being recognized after all.

"What did the doctor say?" Tazuna was asking. Kakuzu could no longer see them at this point but knew that they had settled on the couches in the living room on the left. "Are they going to fix you up any time soon?"

"I asked Sakura, but she's too busy with other injured villagers. One of the medics looked at me and they said that the swelling would go away soon, and the fractures will take about a couple of days."

"Man, you sure heal fast," Inari breathed in awe. "I wish I did when I broke my leg when I was a kid."

"Ha, well it's all thanks to this guy here. Having a tailed beast inside you isn't so bad sometimes, ya know?"

Kakuzu turned away from the keyhole and sent a venomous death glare at Hidan. "This is all your fault!" he mouthed furiously at the Jashinist.

Hidan gave him an incredulous look and threw his hands up in the air. "How?" he mouthed back.

Ignoring him, the older man stalked over and dragged Hidan up to his feet, who actually complied this time and tried. They were successful and Kakuzu held him steady until he was able to stand on his own. Hidan took a small, tentative step forward, wincing. He took another, then another, wobbling a bit but not actually falling over. He gave a nod to Kakuzu, who then hurriedly looked around the room for a possible escape route. The window was way too small for them to fit through, unless they forced it bigger, but that would make too much noise. The only way out was through the door. Kakuzu swore violently under his breath.

He could wait until they all went into another room, or they could just barge through so fast that Naruto and the others could wonder what just went past. The likeliness of that happening was laughable, so Kakuzu decided to wait. He turned when he felt a tap on his arm.

Hidan was standing at an awkward angle, leaning on the wall for support. "I need some fuckin' clothes," he told the older man with a displeased look on his face.

Kakuzu sighed and gave him his cloak, which the Jashinist gladly wrapped around himself. Now that they were ready, they inched towards the door where they would wait for the right time. Hidan had to hold on to Kakuzu while he walked which irked the older man greatly, but didn't complain about it. Pressing his ear to the wood, he listened to their conversation. School, ninjutsus, fighting, women... the incessant chatter went on. Kakuzu wanted to sew their mouths shut and Hidan just looked bored. Here they were, in a frantic and panicking mess and they were just sitting lazily on the couches as if they had all the time in the world.

If they would just hurry, Kakuzu thought to himself angrily. He was starting to get extremely impatient and was more than ready to leave this place once and for all. The sudden departure was disorienting indeed, and would've liked more time to get ready, but right now he didn't have much of a choice.

After what seemed like a millenium, they seemed to be getting up at last. There was the clatter of plates and chopsticks, and the rustles of clothing. Finally, the older man thought irritably. Time to leave.

"Anyways, I came up with the best ultimate jutsu ever," Naruto was mumbling somewhat quietly, so that Tazuna wouldn't hear. "But I can't do it here, it's uh, sort of not allowed around adults."

"Is it sexier than the last one?" Inari asked him excitedly in a hushed voice.

"Of course it is, believe it!"

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Okay, I'll show you in that room." Footsteps started to head this way.

_Shit,_ Kakuzu thought, feeling his blood run cold. Hidan was reciting every swear word in the human dictionary, looking, if possible, even paler than ever. The footsteps stopped, and Kakuzu could see the shadows of the figures through the crack below. The doorknob turned.

Kakuzu took a deep breath and steeled himself. They'd face them head-on, and he'd be ready to fight to the death if he had to. The wooden door creaked open, the light from the living room flooding through.

"Huh?" He was met with two dumbfounded faces that belonged to the couple of teenagers who stared at the intruders dumbly with their mouths hanging open. Kakuzu watched them warily, and he could feel Hidan slipping the hood over his face even further and hiding behind his back. "Who are you?"

"A couple of guys I found along the back trail," Tazuna replied for them, who thankfully appeared just in time next to the boys. "They were almost dead, so I brought them over."

"I see." Inari nodded and smiled. "Hello, sir, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Inari, and this is my grandpa. He's really nice, as you could probably tell."

"I could," Kakuzu replied stiffly. His eyes kept on flickering over to the beat up face of the Kyuubi kid, who hadn't spoken a word yet. He was staring at the older man with his one good eye with a look that Kakuzu couldn't tell. He tensed his muscles, discreetly reaching for his kunai.

"Why are you all stitched up?" Kakuzu froze in his place.

"...Excuse me?"

"Your body, you're all stitched up. How the heck did you get so many injuries at once?" The question that came from the Kyuubi kid's mouth left Kakuzu extremely confused. Was he being stupid on purpose, or was he actually this dumb? He had no idea how to reply.

To his immense surprise, Hidan stepped up from behind him. "We fell from a cliff," he said without hesitation. "We were jus' walkin' and a group of ninjas though' they'd have some fun an' destroyed the entire place, an' made a damn cliff outta the land. We both fell, an' he go' the wors' of i'."

"Oh my gosh, that's terrible," Inari gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kakuzu replied absentmindedly, still shocked at how smoothly _Hidan,_ of all people, came up with that explanation. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have some business to take care of." They began to squeeze through the doorway.

They were halfway across the living room when Naruto's voice sounded again. "Hold on," he said suddenly, sounding much more serious. "You look kind of familiar, mister Stitches."

Kakuzu felt dizzy from his heart beating so fast. Sweat formed on his palms, and he slowly turned around. "No," he said slowly. "You're mistaken." Then without another word, he grabbed Hidan's arm and quickly made their way towards the entrance. He'd placed his hand on the doorknob when,

"Wait!" Kakuzu winced; he knew this would be it. "I know you!" There was anger, shock, and confusion all mixed into Naruto's voice. "You— _you're that guy from the Akatsuki!"_

Kakuzu ducked just in time as a shuriken came whizzing in his direction. It slammed into the door when his head had been. His whirled around, glaring. The Kyuubi kid already had another shuriken in his hand, ready to attack. Kakuzu drew his kunai, and fell into his defensive stance.

"But... you..." Naruto gaped at the two of them; his eyes darted from Hidan and back to him, looking utterly bemused. "You're _dead!"_

"Not quite, kid," Kakuzu growled. "I'm still alive."

"But... I _killed_ you!" Naruto shouted hysterically. "Kakashi-sensei finished you off for good!"

"What is going on?" Tazuna entered the scene along with Inari, and alarm broke out over his face at the sight of weapons. "Naruto, why are you attacking him?"

"This guy is from the Akatsuki, old man!" Naruto shouted shrilly. "I don't know his name, but I fought him! He's dangerous!"

"Akatsuki?" Tazuna stared at Kakuzu, who glared back. "I thought the Akatsuki were all dead."

"Apparently this one survived," Naruto said fiercely. "He's one of the ones who killed Asuma-sensei. I'm going to beat you to death!"

"In that condition?" Tazuna quickly grabbed Naruto's shoulder. "If those two are really from Akatsuki like you say, then you're no match for them."

"I can't just sit around and let them kill us all!" argued Naruto, glaring.

"Go get your teacher, Kakashi," Tazuna muttered under his breath hurriedly. "He's just down at the village, right? It'll take 2 minutes. Go with Inari and get as much backup as you can. I'll hold them off."

"Old man, how will you—"

"I've nursed them back to health; I know their weak points. Plus that door is locked and I have the key. Now go," Tazuna ordered. His glare seemed to deter the Kyuubi kid from arguing any further.

Naruto seemed reluctant, but apparently he'd made up his mind. With one final glare at Kakuzu, he and Inari dashed out the back door. "I'll be back right away, I promise!"

"You sneaky little—" Once the teens vanished, Kakuzu was about to kill Tazuna when the old man opened a small cabinet and handed Hidan a pair of sandals. The Jashinist took them hesitantly, looking rather baffled.

"Go, now." Tazuna opened the front door and ushered them out. It was still raining, but thankfully it was reduced to light showers. "Go and don't ever come back."

"What..." It was Kakuzu's turn to stare dumbly.

"I said go, damn it! Before they come and we'll all be killed," Tazuna said firmly. He had a determined look etched upon his aged face. "If you follow the trail on the right, you'll come across a cave. No one knows about it except me. It'll be enough shelter and far enough from this place."

_"Why_ are you helping us?" Kakuzu hissed furiously. "You know now that we're Akatsuki—"

"The Akatsuki are dead," Tazuna retorted simply. "They simply don't exist anymore. I don't care if you were a part of it or not. Plus, I suspected it when I first found you, anyway."

"Then why didn't you kill—"

"If I knew you were a threat, then maybe I would've, but you've had plenty of chances to kill me and you didn't, and that's enough proof for me. You're okay. Now for God's sake, go! Before all of that becomes nothing."

Kakuzu knew he was right, and they had to leave this instant. He hesitated, before nodding to Tazuna and saying, "Thank you."

The old man nodded back quickly. "Yeah, I get it. Now run!"

Kakuzu didn't have to be told again. Pulling Hidan's arm around his shoulder, they jogged out into the rain towards the wooded trails, not looking back. He glanced around and saw that the Jashinist had gritted his teeth and that some wounds had opened and begun to bleed, but thankfully didn't complain about it. They ran as fast as they could, well into the forest, and took the right path as he was told. The ground was slippery and they almost fell numerous times, and tree roots were plentiful to stumble over. They kept on going until they could see nothing but trees and bushes, and the faint, orange glow of the setting sun behind the gray rainclouds. There was a strange sense of déjà vu; it was just like the very beginning all over again. It was as if their lives now consisted of nothing but running away. It was disgusting.

Kakuzu had to stop because Hidan started to cough violently, and they stumbled down on the muddy ground where the Jashinist wheezed and retched, specks of blood mixing with the rain and dripping off his chin. The older man rummaged through the knapsack and found the small chakra pill in a leather pouch, and he gave it to Hidan who took it gladly.

As soon as the pill was swallowed, he began to breathe significantly better. He seemed to regain more strength as he let out a haggard sigh, leaning against a nearby tree. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, making him look even sicker. His cheekbones had become more prominent, signalling his lack of nutrition. Kakuzu noted all of these factors darkly. He knew he'd done a terrible job in bringing Hidan back together. He'd have to try harder, or else he might as well just kill themselves both and be done with it all.

"Get up," he told the Jashinist after a few more minutes of wordless rest. He dragged a reluctant Hidan back up to his feet and they began the trek once more, this time a bit slower. They stopped time to time when he thought that Hidan was getting too tired, and to shift their positions so that Kakuzu's shoulder wouldn't be out the next day. Soon, it was almost completely dark save for the dim, foggy moonlight that barely lit their path for them as they continued to stumble down the trail.

The light rain had drenched their clothes once again and the extra weight slowed them down even further. Hidan tightened his grip around Kakuzu's shoulder and was now basically hanging off the older man, making Kakuzu grunt in discomfort. He didn't want to have to carry an entire grown man when he was already exhausted enough as it was. He quietly told the Jashinist so, but Hidan didn't seem to be listening. Of course he wasn't, he was there to make people's lives miserable.

Kakuzu was so sure that they'd been walking for at least a century when he finally spotted the trail thinning out to nothing, and a little further ahead he saw the dark outline of the entrance to a cave. It was indeed extremely well hidden behind all the undergrowth and low-hanging branches, and you wouldn't know that it was there unless you'd been informed of it. He sighed with relief; they could finally rest without any nosy intruders poking at their sides. Peace at last, for now.

Though, apparently not.

"We're here," said Kakuzu with ease. "Come on." He made to take a step forward, but was stopped by a force pulling him back. It was Hidan; he wasn't moving.

"Let's go," Kakuzu said again, tugging on the Jashinist's arm. He didn't budge. "Hidan," he said, frowning.

"I... we're goin' in _there?"_ Hidan's voice sounded small, and somewhat quaky. Kakuzu blamed it on his exhaustion.

"Of course we are," he said somewhat irritably. "What else do you think we came all the way here for?"

"I don' wan' to," Hidan muttered, trying to free his arm from the older man's grasp. "I'm goin' back."

"What? No you're not," Kakuzu said angrily, yanking the Jashinist back. "This is where we're staying for now."

"Nah, I think I'll jus'—"

"Hidan, shut up. Get in there now."

_"NO!"_ Hidan jerked free with surprising strength and tumbled to the ground as his legs gave away under him. He began to crawl away hastily, his hood slipping over his head again. Mud smeared all over his arms and legs, and soiled the cloak.

"Get back here," Kakuzu snapped, grabbing the Jashinist by the waist and hauling him back in the direction of the cave. However, he regretted doing anything in the first place because the next thing that happened was truly unexpected.

Hidan screeched at his touch and started to thrash around wildly, successfully scoring one of his fists across the older man's face, who let go in surprise. He then proceeded to grab at anything within reach, and began hurling them in Kakuzu's direction; fistfuls of mud, pebbles, grass and small twigs. Kakuzu sat there for a few moments, stunned and thoroughly flabbergasted at the violent reaction, before pulling himself together when he received a faceful of mud. He lunged forward to grab the Jashinist's shoulders.

"Hidan, stop it!" he growled in his face, shaking him roughly. "Calm down!"

"You're no' fuckin' makin' me go in there, you piece of shi'!" Hidan screamed, trying to shove the older man off. "I'll fuckin' kill you!"

"Shut up, you're too loud!" Kakuzu hissed. He never let go of the shoulders, and he withstood the punches and kicks that were thrown at him. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" He tried to drag him back towards the dark entrance again, which only made the fit grow worse.

"NO!" Hidan basically screamed, his eyes blazing. "You're no' the boss of me, old man! Stop tryin' to fuckin' control my life!"

"I'm just trying to get you in that cave, you dumbass!" Kakuzu snarled, his grip tightening in anger. His nails dug into the pale skin, drawing blood. "What's wrong with that!?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, don' fuckin' make me go in there, Kakuzu!" Hidan shrieked. "Jashin, no, I'll make him curse you forever!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Kakuzu roared. With one giant heave, he pulled the Jashinist up to his feet. "I don't care about your stupid God. You're going in and that's final!"

"Kakuzu, PLEASE!" Hidan was back on the ground but this time he was clawing and grabbing at the older man's leg. Kakuzu was appalled to realize that Hidan was actually shaking, and extremely badly at that as well. His hands were trembling so hard he couldn't even grab onto the leg properly, so he just clung onto it with his arms as if his life depended on it, burying his face into the fabric. "F-fuckin' please, Kakuzu. Look a' me, on the ground an' beggin' the fuck outta my life like a poor, pathetic little fucker. D-don't fuckin' make me go in there, Kakuzu. For fuck's sake come on, why can' we jus' find another place to stay!?"

Kakuzu stood there, his mind going white. He could no longer hear Hidan's stuttering pleas, nor could he feel the Jashinist trembling against his leg. He couldn't believe what was happening. No, this was just not right. He'd suspected that something weird had been going on back at Tazuna's house, but he didn't really think much on it. Or perhaps he didn't want to think on it. It was just so wrong in every way.

Hidan was _afraid._

The Jashinist, ever so mighty and self-confident, was now literally a shaking mess at his feet begging not to be taken into the cave. He was not in his right mind right now. Was it even possible for him to get any more insane? Apparently so. Kakuzu had asked himself that rhetorical question many times before. Now he was witnessing the man break apart before his very eyes; it was not how he had imagined it and unlike his usual fantasies, he didn't like it a single bit.

Kakuzu could not think, move, or breathe.

As of now, Hidan was muttering incoherent things into his leg that sounded somewhat like 'please', 'no', and 'fuck', but Kakuzu paid no heed to it. For the first time in his life, he felt completely at a lost as to what to do. He couldn't look after a half-dead person, let alone a mentally unstable patient.

Maybe he should've left him in that hole after all.

The gaping mouth of the cave looked darker than ever.

…

Kakuzu blinked, resurfacing back to reality as he gathered his own mind together. He couldn't stand there forever. He had to do whatever it took and getting soaked outside wasn't one of them. He slowly crouched down and gently pried the Jashinist away from his leg, who looked up at him with hopeful eyes that flickered around as they studied the stitched face. Just like a lost child.

"We're no' goin' in that fuckin' cave, righ'?" he asked cautiously. "Please tell me we're no', for fuck's sake..."

"No," Kakuzu said quietly. "We're not."

Hidan let out a giant sigh of relief and his muscles relaxed, letting go of Kakuzu's leg. "Thank Jashin! For a momen' I though' you were actually plannin' to—"

He was cut off when Kakuzu lightly pressed two fingers on the middle of his forehead, sending a sharp burst of chakra through one of the vital points just lightly enough for him to fall unconscious. Hidan's eyes rolled back into their sockets and he collapsed forward, only to be caught and thrown over Kakuzu's shoulder. He fell limp against the older man's torso.

Silently and wordlessly, Kakuzu entered the cave.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as the cave was entered, what little light he had had outside in the downpour was lost and they were instantly plunged into complete darkness. He tightened his grip around the unconscious Jashinist over his shoulder, and held his other arm out in front of him as he blindly shuffled forward. The wide tunnel sloped gently downwards and seemed to go on forever. Gradually, the echoes of the continuous rainfall got fainter and fainter until he heard nothing but his own, harsh breath and the sound of his sandals crunching in the course dirt.

It was hard to notice at first, but as he pressed deeper into the cave, the path got narrower and narrower. He first realized this when his arm brushed up against the jagged surface of the stone wall, even though he'd been going straight this entire time. Pretty soon the tunnel was barely wide enough for one adult body and with his luggage there was no other choice but to advance sideways.

Kakuzu stopped abruptly to catch his breath, shifting Hidan's weight uncomfortably. Inside, he was fuming. He was getting tired from the smallest exertions and there was no greater mortification. All of a sudden he was extremely glad that the place was pitch black with the Jashinist knocked out, sparing him the mockery that would be sure to spew from the Jashinist's mouth had he seen the older man's condition. His single heart wasn't faring very well; as he had torn it out of a random ninja at the very last minute before his breath stopped short. Perhaps it was because he'd been straining it so much, but his chakra was replenishing much slower than normal. As of right now, he almost felt like an ordinary man, weary after weeks of manual labour. But of course, Kakuzu was no ordinary man and therefore weakness was unacceptable.

After calming his crazy pulse down somewhat, he continued to shuffle down. He felt a grim sort of satisfaction when he heard Hidan's back being scraped across the rough cave wall, but all thoughts quickly receded to the bottom of his mind when he walked right into a jagged piece of rock the size of his fist protruding from the walls. Kakuzu grunted as the pointed edge embedded itself painfully into his waist, but he shoved as hard as he could and the shard broke off with a 'crack', and he was able to move again. Limping slightly and panting again from the sudden burst of energy, he squeezed down the tunnel.

To his surprise, he had barely gone twenty steps when the suffocating walls suddenly disappeared and Kakuzu tumbled unceremoniously to the ground at the loss of support. To his dismay, he just happened to land on his right side where the rock shard was still stuck in his flesh, and it dug further into his waist upon impact. He cursed loudly as pain erupted before his eyes and he saw stars blinking into view. He remained sprawled on the ground for some time, taking deep breaths; Hidan had been tossed away into some dark corner during his fall and hadn't stirred yet.

Kakuzu carefully ran his fingers over the wound, which was quickly slicked with blood. It wasn't very big compared to others he'd received, but he'd have to pull the rock out. Steeling himself, he seized the end of the fragment and pulled as hard as he could in a swift movement, before he let himself have any second thoughts. There was a sickening _'shluck'_ as the debris was removed, and he could feel the blood flowing out of the hole. He maneuvered his threads to stitch the wound quickly, and rolled over so he wasn't lying in a pool of his own blood.

There was no point in saying that he stared up at the ceiling, because everywhere he looked was black; he might as well just keep his eyes closed. It would have been nice to just lay there feeling sorry for himself and relish the darkness that usually would have left him anxious and on edge, tensed into battle stances in case something came at his face using his blindness to their advantage. But right now, he simply found it too exhausting to care anymore. He focused on the dull throb in his waist, because that was the only thing he could latch onto that proved to him that they were still alive and not dead, suspended in a black void of nothingness.

Kakuzu's train of thought was interrupted by a haggard groan some yards away from where he was. He could hear some shuffling, followed by curses jumbled up into a stream of profanities that hardly made sense. "Fuck," moaned the cracked voice. "Oww, it hurts like a fuckin' shit-faced mother fucker... I'll kill..." Suddenly, the sentence trailed off, and gradually along with all sounds of movement. There was a dead, pregnant silence that hung over the cavern. Kakuzu remained silent, waiting for the Jashinist to realize where he was.

"...Fuck." Hidan's voice was low, but the older man could detect traces of distress in his tone. _"Fuck." _There was a bit more shuffling, and the sound of hands feeling around as it patted down its surroundings. His breathing became faster and harsher, until he let out a strangled cry.__

__"Shi', wh—" There was a slight pause for half a second, then— _"Kakuzu!"_ Hidan screamed suddenly. "Kakuzu, where the fuck are you!?"_ _

__"I'm right here," Kakuzu replied calmly, no doubt making Hidan jump at his abrupt voice._ _

__"S-Shi', Kakuzu!" Hidan was on the verge of hyperventilation. "I've turned fuckin' blind! Help me, Jashin damn it!"_ _

__"You're not blind, Hidan," Kakuzu drawled, still lounging out in his spot without making any move to get up. "You're just being paranoid."_ _

__"Fuck bein' paranoid, I can't see shit!" the Jashinist shouted, his voice laced with panic. "Where are you, you old geezer! Come closer so I know you're real and not some fucked up illusion my brain made up! My eyes— are my eyes fuckin' gone!?"_ _

__"Hidan, calm the fuck down," Kakuzu snapped. "Your eyes are perfectly fine. It's extremely dark in here, and I haven't gone out to find some firewood yet."_ _

__There was yet another deadly silence, and this time Kakuzu knew he was in for it this time. He made himself comfortable and braced himself for the verbal attack._ _

__"Y-You…" Hidan's voice was quivering with rage. "You fuckin'… you _son of a bitch!"_ he roared. _"You brough' me into the cave, you fuckin' piece of shi' miser! You sly, cunnin', evil little bitch! How can you fuckin' do this to me!? Jashin will have your ass for this, fuckin' bastard!"_ His screams reverberated throughout the cavern walls, and it pierced Kakuzu's eardrums. _"FUCK YOU!"__ _

__"Oh shut up," snarled Kakuzu, aggravated. "You were just being a coward. What is your problem with being here?"_ _

__"I don' have a fuckin' problem, you fuckin' piece of shi'!" screeched Hidan. "I can' believe you actually _stunned_ me and dragged me into this hellhole when I _clearly_ expressed my opinion about it! Do you like fuckin' with me, old man!? Do you have a fuckin' death wish!?"_ _

__"I could ask you the same," Kakuzu growled, scrambled to his feet and marching over to where Hidan's general direction. There was a 'crunch' and a loud, surprised cry of pain as he stepped on what was presumably the Jashinist's fingers. He reached down and found a bundle of clothing, which he grabbed onto and pulled the figure close to his face even though he couldn't see anything in front of him. "Listen to me, you ungrateful little prick," he ground out through gritted teeth. "I just narrowly escaped death one too many times trying to save two asses; mine and yours. I barely made it out of our last fight with the Konoha dogs and I almost _died_ hauling your useless chunk of flesh around with me. I made it all the way to Hell's front doorstep digging you out of that forest, yet you continue to act like this. You can't even _begin_ to imagine how I am now. You'd better stop being a nuisance, or I will kill you if I have to end up risking my life for yours again."_ _

__"Wha..." Hidan coughed, his voice was barely over a whisper. "You dug me out of tha' hole for _this?_ You're the wors', heartless, _dumbes'_ bastard to have ever lived this earth. What's the poin' of getting' me ou' when you're just going to rip me apar' and bury me again?"_ _

__Kakuzu opened his mouth, then closed it. He knew this question would eventually come up. "Because if not for you then my life will be too full of hatred for this world without anybody to take it out on," he answered flatly._ _

__Hidan snorted, his form slumping back against the older man's still firm grip. "Tha's the wors' fuckin' excuse I've ever heard in my life."_ _

__Kakuzu let go of Hidan's cloak, and sighed. He threw himself against the wall of the cavern and massaged his temples. "Forget it," he muttered darkly. "Just forget it." Silence settled over their heads yet again._ _

__"Hey, Kakuzu?" Hidan spoke up from beside him, although thankfully this time he was being quieter._ _

__"Mm."_ _

__"You still there?"_ _

__"Obviously," grumbled Kakuzu, still disgruntled. "What do you want?"_ _

__"Don't fuckin' go anywhere without tellin' me, okay? Or I will beat the shi' out of you."_ _

__"Or you can see with your own eyes and confirm the fact without me having to inform you verbally all the time," Kakuzu snapped._ _

__"And jus' how the fuck am I supposed to do tha', smartass?" Hidan spat. "I can't even see my fuckin' hands in fron' of my face!"_ _

__"...I'm working on that."_ _

__"Tch. Dumb bastard."_ _

__"Shut up, Hidan, you have no idea how hard it is to take care of your own life plus an idiotic immortal that can't even stay in a cave by himself."_ _

__"I don' need you to take care of me!" Hidan fumed indignantly. "I can fuckin' take care of m—"_ _

__Kakuzu let out a harsh, barking laugh that was devoid of any humor. "Really? So you'd have no problem if I get up and leave you here right now?"_ _

__He did not receive an answer. Kakuzu scowled into the dark, feeling the body quiver next to him. He gave the figure a hard shove, and walked a couple steps away before sitting back down. He clenched his eyes shut until the bright stars began to swim into his vision, wishing for his pounding headache to disappear. Now that the argument was out of the way, pure exhaustion began to make itself known. He didn't care that by now he was probably caked head to toe with dirt, nor did he have the energy to care about the fact that what little body temperature he had left was slowly seeping out into the freezing rocks that surrounded him in all directions. Abruptly, Kakuzu let all his muscles go limp and collapsed onto the ground on his back with a dull 'thud'._ _

__Hidan's loud breathing suddenly stopped at this, and for a few seconds Kakuzu could tell that he held his breath. He knew the Jashinist was wondering if he had suddenly dropped dead or something, and resisted a snort. He could move to make some sounds, indicating that he was still alive, or he could be cruel and not say a word._ _

__In his current sadistic mood, the latter seemed much more appealing._ _

__As expected, Hidan started to fidget, the rustle of clothing accompanied by the grating of skin on stone. Kakuzu lay there, uncomfortable but relaxed, and listened to the sounds of anxiety. Kakuzu knew he was being childish, but some evil part of his mind told him that he wanted to see the Jashinist suffer, so he wouldn't be the only one left out to bear this humiliation alone. It was an irrational thought with no reasoning, but the malevolent embers within his heart would not die. The longer he lay there the more he wanted to get up and leave Hidan by himself to fret in the darkness. Kakuzu found it hard to recognise his old self within this body. His calm, calculating way of viewing things had vanished, left with only his growing contempt for the world._ _

__However, each time he'd try to stand up and get what he had come back for, there was a nagging force that stopped him from doing so, causing frustration and despair to mingle together. He was left with nothing but a useless body, and another useless piece of flesh he called an ex-partner for company. Kakuzu bared his teeth in disgust. He tried to recall back the times where he had a reputation among other things, and found that he could no longer remember much except for the dark times he spent within Akatsuki's grasp. Eyes always watching, staring into the deepest parts of the soul and raping almost every bit of privacy he once had before his life had been condemned to the impending doom resulting from that single choice. Despite all, Kakuzu was a smart man, and that bit hadn't changed. It was an unspoken truth among all members of Akatsuki that to speak of themselves meant death. To become shadows and nothing more was how you lived, and within time it had sunk into Kakuzu's very flesh and bone like a stinking black poison, morphing itself into his very form, mocking his descent into this lowly life. No quantity of soap and water would be able to wash this away; it was a part of him now, and there was no escaping it._ _

__Knowing that Hidan wouldn't be able to see, Kakuzu lifted his hand and ran his fingers over his chest where the stitches held his flesh together, stopping just at the point where his mediocre heart was beating furiously to keep him alive. He prodded at the seams, digging his nails into what would've been a bloody mess. He only felt the stitches tighten at this intrusion, a reflex that he had lost control over a long time ago._ _

__Well, since he was no longer what one would call a human, perhaps it would have been okay to abandon someone in this dreary cave, until they slowly went mad to the point where it would be unbearable to watch. Without Hidan, Kakuzu would no longer be handicapped and therefore able to fulfill his revenge without any trip-ups._ _

__Why then, was he laying here unmoving as a log, despite being the smart man he claimed to be? Kakuzu listened as Hidan began to blubber nonsense, not actually paying attention to what he was saying. It was something along the lines of 'fucker' and 'are you alive', but he paid no heed to it. Why was he staying?_ _

__Because he's stupid, one might say to him. His pathetic excuse of keeping the Jashinist with him won't provide him with a solution to actually return to his life he once had before Akatsuki corrupted his mind while he sat there like an idiot, oblivious to the blackness shrouding his eyes. Kakuzu's mind flitted back and forth towards the destroyed organization to his current state, weighing his unspoken options. Surely any sane man would choose to leave now while he had the chance._ _

__Unfortunately, Kakuzu was not what one would call sane._ _

__He sat up so suddenly the stars returned with impeding force, but he ignored them. Hidan finally stopped his incessant chatter, and fell silent once more. The older man carefully drew himself up to his feet, the pain in his side reduced to a mere, dull throbbing. He couldn't just laze about doing nothing forever, and his original plans to scare Hidan were forgotten._ _

__"Thought you fuckin' died or somethin'," Hidan muttered from his spot. "Who knows? Maybe that shitty heart of yours couldn't keep up with your smartass brain—"_ _

__"Shut up." Kakuzu began to feel his way across the cave, trying to find the crack in the walls again._ _

__"Where are you goin'?" Hidan blurted out quickly. "If you think you're just gonna leave me here then—"_ _

__"I'm going to get firewood," Kakuzu said gruffly, his fingers finally reaching the deep gash and he squeezed himself through the gap before Hidan could say anything else._ _

__~*o*~_ _

__The heat that filled up the cavern did nothing to warm Kakuzu's view on their current situation. The flames threw grotesque shadows up the jagged walls and the wet branches filled the entire cave with smoke, so they opted to throw in the spare pieces of building wood they had pleasantly discovered scattered along the dirt. Kakuzu looked through the bag Tazuna had given him and found the rice balls wrapped in large, brown leaves. There were six in total, but even that wasn't enough. He split one in two and give the other half to Hidan, who took one look at it and turned green, shaking his head. The tiny morsel did nothing to calm his starving belly. Kakuzu glanced up to see Hidan staring dazedly at the fire, the shadows making his hollow cheekbones even more prominent. With a harsh sigh, Kakuzu reached over and shoved the remaining half of the rice ball in the Jashinist's hands. Flinching as if coming out of a trance, Hidan stared at the thing in his palm, before slowly looking up to Kakuzu._ _

__"What do you want me to do with this thing?" he rasped._ _

__"You eat it," Kakuzu said._ _

__"I can't." Hidan shook his head, his hair falling out of place down his bruised forehead. "I can't eat. I'll be sick—"_ _

__"You'll be even sicker if you don't," Kakuzu cut in roughly. "Even worse, you'd be dead. Eat the god damn thing before you starve."_ _

__"Would it be better to die?" Hidan muttered absentmindedly. "Maybe then I'll be able to see my Lord Jashin, and then I will tell him how much I hated this world of heathens..."_ _

__"But then you won't be able to get back at me," Kakuzu told him. "You'll miss your chance to kill me yourself, and then I'll die one day from other things and then the opportunity would be gone forever. Surely you'll want to take my heathen life with your own hands?"_ _

__At that, Hidan's lips twitched into the beginnings of a smile. A glint of the old, lively mirth sparked in his eyes. "Don't you worry, old man," he chuckled. "I'll make sure I rip out your heart and sacrifice it to Lord Jashin, even if it was the last thing I had to do."_ _

__"Good to know. Now eat, you brat, before all that goes to nothing." Kakuzu watched as Hidan reluctantly bit into the food, chewing mechanically before swallowing as if it were the hardest thing in the world. More than once he moved to spit it back out, but a glare from the older man was sufficient enough to prevent that._ _

__Within the cave, where not even the constant pounding of the rain was heard, there wasn't much to do. After the meal Kakuzu and Hidan sat on opposite sides of the cavern, plunged into silence except for the crackling of the small fire. They remained like that for an extended period of time with no words spoken. It was after the fire began to reduce itself to glowing embers when Kakuzu began to doze off, his eyelids growing heavy and found it hard to stay alert._ _

__He had to tell himself multiple times that nobody was going to be looking for them here, yet he tensed at every single crack and pop of the fire. He even caught himself nodding off a couple times; Hidan continued to sit in his spot like a lifeless corpse, the cloak sliding down his shoulders and arms that dangled down his sides. His eyes seemed to be closed; he could've died for all Kakuzu cared and he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. His skin was a sickly pallor, lips slightly blue and gaping. This was not Hidan, it was... he couldn't even find the correct words to describe it._ _

__Kakuzu hadn't even realized that he'd fallen asleep, but when he woke to the feeling of a blanket of ice wrapped around his naked torso, he guessed it had been a while since the fire had gone cold long ago. They were plunged into darkness once more, but as he lay, Kakuzu felt something shockingly frigid pressed against the curve of his back. It took him a few moments to realize that it was Hidan, clinging to his body like an overgrown parasite. The older man silently marvelled at how someone could be this cold and was still living. Or perhaps he died in his sleep; the Jashinist wasn't shivering. He had grown so numb he probably didn't feel much anymore. Kakuzu didn't bother to wonder how Hidan had gotten over here, but seeing as they had probably been in this position for quite a while and he hadn't woken up once, he must have been completely out cold._ _

__His consciousness reminded him that this was improper and outrageous; any other time he would've shot up and punched the Jashinist across the cavern. However, right now he was too tired—physically and mentally—to care. He made no move to shift away as the icy arms entangled themselves around his chest, trying to absorb as much warmth as possible. Instead, he reached over, pried the abandoned cloak from under Hidan, and rolled it up into a makeshift pillow to alleviate some of the headaches that still plagued him in the wakeful world._ _

__Suddenly, Hidan emits a strange note from his throat, like a broken clarinet trying to find the right pitch. It was unexpected and made Kakuzu start at the closeness of the noise. Other incoherent mumblings escaped the Jashinist's mouth, and during the ramble the older man actually caught something that sounded suspiciously like, "fuckin' here, right?"_ _

__Kakuzu didn't dignify that question with an answer._ _

__~*o*~_ _

__The next time he woke up, they had somehow broken apart and Kakuzu found himself in the exact position he had left himself, but Hidan was no longer near him. Gone was the arctic touch, and with it his incessant ramblings as well. For a second Kakuzu wondered if he had left the cave altogether, but then reminded himself that the guy was in no condition to move by himself, especially through that tiny crack. Ten minutes later he had the fire going, and he could see properly once more. The Jashinist sat huddled in his initial spot, naked and shivering. The minute the flames flared back into life his eyes shot over to Kakuzu's and they made uncomfortable eye contact. Hidan shifted uneasily, as if he knew he had unknowingly clung to the older man during the night and was embarrassed about it. Kakuzu made no move to acknowledge the fact and acted as if he knew nothing of the event._ _

__"What?" He finally had to ask, when the staring became unbearable._ _

__"Nothin'!" Hidan snapped, a little too forcefully and the wounds in his cheek ripped a little. "Nothin'," he said more calmly this time. "You're just bein' creepy as fuck."_ _

__Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "Am I?" He no longer had a mask to hide behind, so he made sure his face was devoid of any emotion at all._ _

__"Yeah!" Hidan snarled. "Stealin' my cloak in the middle of the night... what else would you describe it as!? If you so much as touched me—"_ _

__Kakuzu snorted at the irony. "Funny that it's coming from you," he sneered, grabbing the balled up cloak and throwing it at the Jashinist's face. "Stop talking nonsense and let me have peace."_ _

__"Oh?" Hidan's eyes widened at that. "Is that what you wanted, fucker? Well, let me tell you something; you had a whole fuckin' day of peace yesterday, sitting there pretending to be all dead and shit; you just love fuckin' with me, don't you? You only dug me out so you can have someone to poke at again!"_ _

__"I dug you out because of reasons, not this bullshit you speak of," growled Kakuzu, glowering at Hidan over the fire as he hastily wrapped the cloak around himself. "Has anyone ever taught you to be _grateful_ for once?"_ _

__There was silence, then..._ _

__"Ya think you're the only one with problems?" Hidan spat back maliciously. "I, for one, know from first-hand experience what it's like to be literally blown apart by the limbs and buried alive with fuckin' evil-ass deer starin' at my grave in case I escape. Can you even begin to— to—" he scrunched up his face in an effort to find the right word, "to comprehend the level of freakiness that it was? Because I'll tell you old man, that it was some _fucked up shit._ And I ain't gonna live through it again."_ _

__"Look, you idiot. I want to make this very clear," Kakuzu countered right away and took a deep breath before glaring at the man opposite from him. "I don't _care_ whether you were scared or frightened. And contrary to your belief, I don't give a shit if it fucked you up, because you deserved it, you little shit. But if your stupid whining gets in the way of getting my revenge, then I will not hesitate to throw you back in there. So next time you try and give me a lecture, remember this. Do you understand me?"_ _

__Hidan did not answer, but merely stared back with an unreadable expression, his eyes strangely bright; most likely the smoke's fault. It was so strange to see his face free of any prominent emotion, and rather unsettling as well. But when he finally turned away, Kakuzu broke free from that illusion and actually saw him. There was a definite loneliness swimming in the violet orbs. He inwardly scoffed; there was the first sign of weakness which would inevitably lead to Hidan's downfall in the future. Personally he had expected better, but then again, spending months in a deep, underground hole did mess people up._ _

__Hidan did not speak to him again, and only when Kakuzu offered him another bit of rice out of pity did he brush away the offer with a harsh, low, "No"._ _

__Night rolled along, or at least Kakuzu assumed so because they had no way to tell the time. They were running out of building wood, and sooner or later he'd have to go outside for more fuel. Also, they couldn't stay there forever. A part of him told him not to rush things, but the other part insisted that they kept moving. Kakuzu wanted to get out of the country as soon as possible; they'd head somewhere away from the Land of Rivers and keep as far from the Leaf Village as possible. As much as it sounded appealing, he did not want to be caught up in whatever war the others were having as of now. Let them have their war, he would tell himself. Because in the end, it wouldn't matter to them._ _

__And instead, he would be battling a war of his very own, the enemy lines pushing down on his force, in the name of Hidan._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this is your first time finding this fic, you might like to know that I have currently uploaded up to chapter 13 of this story on ff.net under my username "PrussianKnight9". So if you don't want to wait for me to finish moving everything here, then you can go ahead and read this over there. That website is the main site I use to put up new updates. Thanks for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Like? Love? Hate? Please tell me what you think; your reviews will be greatly appreciated! :)


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